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Ballahick Farm
Field 432769 Ballahick Farm Ballasalla Malew IM9 2AD
RECEIVED ON 05 FEB 2007 DEPARTMENT OF LOCAL ECONOMICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
30th January 2007
PREPARED BY: CH2M HILL
CABLE & WIRELESS ISLE OF MAN REF: 113 - Ballahick Farm
CABLE & WIRELESS
Cable and Wireless Isle of Man Limited (C & W) have recently been awarded an Isle of Man (IOM) Mobile Operators License issued by the Island's Communications Commission to provide a mobile phone network and service to the Island's inhabitants and visitors. This service will compete with the incumbent operator (Manx Telecom) and will allow greater choice and competition for the consumers.
The Mobile phone network will consist of a number of sites that have a combination of equipment, such as panel antenna that provide coverage in the vicinity and also transmission dishes that link sites together and with others in the wider network to provide continuous coverage throughout the Island.
Where possible C&W will endeavour to install their equipment on existing infrastructure or radio transmitters. The aim always is to minimise the visual impact of providing this new mobile phone network.
Where this is not possible and it is necessary to introduce additional telecommunications infrastructure onto the Island this supporting statement will justify both why the infrastructure is required and demonstrate that the best possible available site has been identified keeping visual amenity as a priority at all times.
It will also help to explain the decisions which led to the specific location being chosen and what alternatives were discounted.
A variety of supporting information may be included with each application but ultimately the C&W aim is to minimise the number of new structures and the overall visual impact of the network whilst providing sufficient signal strength to provide coverage for customers to take advantage of the C&W services that will become available.
The proposed development will consist of; the erection of an 11.9m monopole mast with up to 3 no. panel antenna, 1 no. 600mm diameter dish, and 1 no. 300mm diameter dishes mounted on it. There will be 2 no. equipment cabinets and 1 no. electricity meter cabinet located at ground level. The mast and equipment will be contained within a 1.2m high post and wire mesh stock-proof fence, and the equipment cabinets, mast, antennas, and dishes will be painted in green colours suitable to the surrounding landscape, vegetation and nearby tree cover. The current suggested shade is BS4800 12C39 but can be controlled by condition.
For further details, please refer to the general arrangement plans that accompany this application.
The proposed site is located on farmland approximately 700m south east from the centre of Ballasalla. The site is located in the northern corner of field 432769, which stands approximately 700m from the main A5 road through Ballasalla and 400m from the A12/B53 road towards Turkeyland Quarry.
Field 432769 is situated within a much larger area of farmland that is predominantly used as grazing land, which includes areas close to the Balthane Industrial Estate. The field is directly flanked by a number of tall trees approximately 10m in height, and the field boundaries are formed from mature hedgerows. The proposed site is also positioned near to a coppice of much taller trees of approximately 15-18m in height that is located closer to the farmyard. Also within this farm yard is an existing corn store/silo that is approximately 15m.
Within this particular search area, there are no existing dedicated telecom sites or suitable existing structures on which to mount antennas and dishes. The nearest dedicated telecoms site is a large steel lattice mast owned by Manx Telecom, located within the Freeport Industrial Estate approximately 1km west of this particular search area. Whilst this represented a reasonable option to consider, its location was deemed to be too close to the planned Cable & Wireless Isle of Man primary site within the Ronaldsway Industrial Estate. It would also have meant the likelihood that the existing mast would need to be redeveloped and replaced with a taller (and possibly wider) structure in order to satisfy the coverage requirements of both operators.
The search area consists of predominantly grazing farmland, but offers few areas of tall natural screening from which to use when considering the location of a new telecommunications site. The chosen plot at Ballahick Farm was identified after observing the collection of trees that surround the farm yard, and the tall grain store/silo - all of which provide extensive screening or a backdrop to the site. The proposed site was also considered to be a prime option as it is not directly overlooked by residential or commercial properties from any direction. The majority of the mast and the ground based equipment would not be visible from general view.
Sites were considered in or around the eastern parts of the Balthane Industrial Estate, but eventually discounted. The main reasons for this were the lack of screening or backdrop available, as most of the industrial units here are one or two storeys only. Although an industrial setting may be considered appropriate for the siting of a telecommunications mast, we felt that it would have been in a very prominent and exposed location, and visually less appealing than a site located away from general view and screened by natural vegetation. In addition, the industrial estate is on lower land than the proposed site and would therefore require a much taller structure to achieve the same level of coverage.
Given the above, we feel the very best site in the search area has been identified.
We have met on several occasions with Ian Brooks to discuss various proposals, including this site. Mr Brooks has accepted the need for sites such as this and was supportive of choosing a location with least visual impact. He proposed that that merits of the scheme can be considered in more detail upon receipt of the formal planning application and drawings.
At the request of the planning officer, we have included an additional elevation plan in order to demonstrate the appearance of the site from the south as well as the north.
The site falls within an area of restricted building height due to Air Safety, due to its proximity to the Ronaldsway Airport. Mr Tony Woods from the Airport Authority has been consulted and raises no issues with the location or height of the proposed site.
We are not aware of any planning history relevant to this proposed application.
Cable and Wireless do not have any existing sites on the Isle of Man. In order to provide coverage and service to potential customers in Ballasalla and Balthane Industrial Estate area, a telecommunication base station site is needed in this area.
If this location is not supported, there will still be a need for site in this area, and we feel the very best location has already been identified by this application. Without a site in this area, many residents, businesses, and tourists will not be able take advantage of having a choice of Mobile Operator the issuing of new licences was (in part) designed to accommodate.
The enclosed coverage plots demonstrate how this site will contribute to the Cable and Wireless network, and the extent of the coverage it is anticipated to provide. In addition to coverage, the site is also part of a network of sites that communicate by dish link. The links must have direct line-of-site to one another in order to operate.
The site will also provide continuous coverage to a significant stretch of the main A5 road in the Ballasalla area, as well as to the various properties and businesses along this route.
The location of the site has been carefully considered, to ensure visual amenity in the area is affected as little as possible by the proposal. The site chosen is, in our view, the best in the search area. All other sites considered are either; in much closer proximity to residential properties; are on more exposed, open, and flatter ground; or do not provide the combination of required line-of-site to other sites, and optimum planned coverage. Line-of-site connectivity is important to ensure the adjacent sites communicate with each other.
The collection of trees surrounding and adjacent to the proposed site, and the silo provides excellent natural screening of both the ground-based equipment, and the majority of the mast itself. Only the very top part of the structure and antennas should be visible from most views of the site and only then at a distance. The nearest residential property to the site is approximately 400m to the north. The nearest main areas of residential properties are over 500m away.
The access track from Ballasalla to the farm is also a public footpath. Only people using this track to access the A12/B53, will be in close-enough proximity to the site to see the lower mast and the ground-based equipment. Even at this point, the field has boundaries formed from thick mature hedgerows and is set slightly higher than the passing track providing additional screening.
To further contribute to the preservation of visual amenity in the area, the mast, antennas, dishes, and cabin will also be painted in colours to match the surrounding local landscape, vegetation, trees, and far-reaching back-drop. The current suggested shade is BS4800 12C39, but this can be controlled by condition.
As a result, we feel the very best site in the search area has been identified by way of this application.
Planning Scheme Development Plan Provisional Order, 1982:
We acknowledge the site is located within an Area of High Landscape or Costal Value and Scenic Significance, as designated by the 1982 Development Plan. As such the siting and appearance of the site has been treated with this highest regard and attention, as observed by the design of similar existing Manx Telecom sites located on land by the same designation elsewhere on the Island.
The site also falls within an area of restricted building height due to Air Safety, due to its proximity to the Ronaldsway Airport. We have consulted Tony Woods of the Airport Authority as mentioned above, and have received formal approval via email.
We have reviewed the draft strategic plan in order that we adhere to the requirements and directives contained therein wherever possible. The following was particularly noted:
1.6.1 "where unusual matters arise, or where there is no Manx guidance, it will often be appropriate and helpful to have regard to legal judgements or advice published in the UK or the EU".
In cases where there is no clear guidance we have followed the UK best practice as outlined in PPG8.
It was evident from the 6 main strategic aims looking at maintaining 'Quality of Life' then there must be a balance between economic progress in the pursuit of "manageable and sustainable growth" 2.3(2) and the need "to protect and improve the quality of the environment" 2.3(4)
This is further highlighted as follows:
3.3 (d) - "to protect the individual character of and identity of settlements and to identify and protect those green spaces in built areas which contribute positively to public amenity".
3.4 (c) - "to safeguard and provide for the needs and aspirations of existing and new location dependant businesses".
Within the transport and Communications section it states:
3.5 (h) – "to ensure that the island is well served by modern telecommunications without compromising the protection of our landscape".
Finally within Transport Infrastructure and Utilities:
11.9.2 – "It is important that a balance be struck between the need for new evolving telecommunications systems to satisfy residential and business demand and the impact that the necessary infrastructure will have on the environment. Measures which may help to achieve a satisfactory balance will include a presumption against visually intrusive masts in sensitive landscapes, the encouragement of mast sharing by different operators and the removal of redundant infrastructure. Exceptions to this policy would need to demonstrate a strategic national need which cannot be otherwise secured by mast sharing or alternative locations.
The inspector's comments were also viewed in relation to the draft plan.
Policies in EP1-3 set out protective policies for the countryside. Development which would have an adverse effect on the character and appearance of the landscape within the existing designated areas will not be permitted. In these areas the protection and conservation of the landscape will be the most important consideration. However development will be permitted where:
In all cases during the search and planning consultation we have endeavoured always to compromise our technical requirements with the need to reduce visual impact of the proposed development by best use of design and location.
We believe that the design and location have been carefully considered in this instance and we also believe we have demonstrated the importance of this site to give vital coverage. This therefore forms an important part of this 'national need' to provide the Isle of Man with a competitive mobile network.
This site has been designed in accordance with the current mainland UK Cellular operators guidance for both Occupational & Public ICNIRP compliance. Our design consultants are satisfied that this site design complies with the above guidelines and therefore a signed ICNIRP certificate is enclosed with this application.
1) Isle of Man Government Statutory Boards, Offices & Agencies Plans 2006-2009. Volume 3. Page 25, under Communications Commission Aims & Objectives Section:
Objective: Social inclusion – To enhance access to services for the whole population:
"We will enforce universal service obligations by telecoms operators with significant market power. They must provide telephone services throughout the Island, ...".
We consider in summary therefore;
a) There is a definite need for the site to provide important coverage to Ballasalla and the passing A5, as well as the residents and businesses along this route.
b) The siting and appearance has been carefully considered to provide the least visual impact possible, by using existing trees and vegetation as screening, and the painting of the mast and equipment to blend in with the surroundings as closely as possible.
The design proposed represents both the optimum planning/environmental and technical solution in this instance. As such the development as proposed is in accordance with planning guidance as defined above.
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