Officer Planning Report Recommendations

Planning Report And Recommendations {{table:295097}} ### Considerations {{table:295094}} ### Written Representations ### Consultations {{table:295095}} {{table:295096}}

Officer's Report

Site

• The application site is located in Field No. 432769, which is south of the farm complex of Ballahick Farm. The boundaries of the field are lined with trees and shrubs.
• Ballahick Farm is set 670m south east of the A5 at Ballasalla.
• The site is not zoned for development and an Area of High Landscape or Coastal Value and Scenic Significance in the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) 1982.
• The site is surrounded by agricultural fields.

Proposed Development

• The application is proposing to install a 11.9m high monopole mast with associated equipment cabinets.
• The mast will have 3no. panel antenna, 1 x 600mm dish and 1 x 300mm dish.
• Three equipment cabinets will be installed on site. These will measure as follows: Electrical meter cabinet - 1m x 0.32 x 1.1m

Equipment cabinet - 0.77m x 0.68m x 1.94m Power One PSU - 0.8m x 0.85m x 1.94m

• The mast, antennas, dishes and equipment cabinets will be colour coated green.
• A 1.2m high stock proof fence will be erected around the development.

Development Plan Policies

• Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Order 1982.
• Isle of Man Strategic Plan (Modified Draft) (November 2004)

Planning History

• 06/02124 - Installation of a 15m high monopole mast with associated equipment cabinets and compound area – withdrawn.

Representations

• Malew Parish Commissioners have not objected to the application.

Assessment

• This application is one of many recently submitted applications by the applicant for the installation of various types of telecommunication developments across the island.
• In May 2006, the Communications Commission licensed two operators to offer mobile telephone service in the Isle of Man. These were Cable & Wireless Isle of Man Ltd (the applicant) and Wire9, through its Manx subsidiary Cloud9.
• In late September 2006, an initial meeting was held with the applicants to discuss the general principles for rolling out a new mobile phone network for the whole of the Island. This meeting was then followed by subsequent meeting to discuss site specific issues.
• The options for the design used by an operator will be affected by the site conditions, technical constraints, landscape features and capacity requirements. The main options would include
• Mast and/or site sharing;
• Installation on existing buildings and structures;
• Camouflaging or disguising equipment
• Using small scale equipment;
• Erecting new ground based masts.
• The applicant was guided towards using existing masts, site sharing in the first instance and then new mast being the last resort.
• As a result of these meetings Cable and Wireless and National Grid Wireless have sought a number of determinations for whether planning permission would be required to install antennas, dishes and equipment cabinets on a number of existing telecommunication sites over the Island. These are:
• DHA Jurby Tower
• DHA Kimmeragh Tower
• DHA Ballasaig Tower
• DHA Peel Hill Tower
• DHA Snaefell Tower
• DHA Carnane Tower
• DHA ESJCR Tower
• NGW Port St Mary
• NGW Glen Maye

• NGW Laxey
• NGW Union Mills
• Mast a Broadcasting House.

• These were considered not to require planning permission or at least require planning permission for external equipment cabinets.

• These sites along with the Beary Park Transmitter gives a total of 13 existing masts will be used as part of the new network without the need of installing a new mast at these sites. The applicants are proposing to use 38 sites to set up the initial network. Therefore 34.2% of the sites are existing masts.

• In terms of site sharing, this is where a new mast will be located alongside an existing mast. 9 of the sites are considered to be site sharing, which is 23.7% of the sites.

• Overall the 57.9% of the new network will be based on mast/site sharing locations.

• In terms of the location of apparatus on existing buildings or structures (excluding masts), the applicant has identified 5 buildings to locate their apparatus on, which is 13.2% of the total number of sites.

• In terms of the installation of new masts, the applicants are proposing 11 new masts to be installed on the island, which is 28.9% of the sites.

• This application is proposing to site a new ground based mast within this location.

• The location of the site is in order to provide coverage and service to potential customers in Ballasalla and Balthane Industrial Estate area. If this location is not supported, there will still be a need for site in this area.

• 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-sight 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.

• In the site selection process the applicant has identified no existing dedicated telecom sites or suitable existing structures on which to mount the antennas within the search area.

• The nearest dedicated telecom 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. The applicant has identified that 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 applicant has stated the search area consists of predominantly grazing farmland, which offers few areas of tall natural screening to use when considering the location of a new telecommunications site.

• The application site was identified because of the collection of trees that surround the farm yard, and the tall grain store/silo - all of which the applicant considers it provides extensive screening or a backdrop to the site. Furthermore, 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, the applicant 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.

• In a recent appeal at Ballnalargy, the appeal inspector stated that "In an area of special landscape, this being an Area of High Landscape Value, the protection of the landscape is the primary consideration. It is therefore appropriate to consider this issue first". The inspector went onto say "the policies require in the first instance that there should be no harm to the character of the landscape not that harm should be minimised."

• In terms of consistency, the same issues apply as the site is located within an area of high landscape value. The structure is an alien feature which could affect the character of the landscape. The proposed mast along with the antenna and dishes will be colour coated green to blend in with the surrounding landscape. The use of the trees to screen the mast will help to blend the mast into the surrounding landscape. The proposed equipment cabinets are of a standard design and size and will be green and will have limited impact on the visual amenities of the area. The applicant has carefully considered the options available and acknowledges the visual impact of a mast. The applicant has therefore decided to site the mast behind a group of trees to overcome this problem. Considering the mast is set a significant distance from the public highway and set behind a group of trees I consider the mast would be very difficult to notice and therefore I do feel the mast will not harm the character of the landscape. Furthermore I do not consider that the introduction of an additional vertical element will appear incongruous by reason of its siting, height and visual appearance within the locality.

• If it is considered that the mast does affect the character of the landscape the policies set out an exception for allowing a visually intrusive mast in a sensitive location by demonstrating strategic national need and that the location is essential.

• As to national need it has been stated in the inspectors report that the Government have not set out any policy for there to be full coverage. There is no policy in the Government Plan and the applicant has stated that their licence does not require them either to achieve a specific level of coverage. There is thus no national need which should be set against the primary consideration of protection of the landscape.

• However the test of essential location is a different test, the applicant has considered other locations to provide coverage within the area but have been either discounted for visual impact reasons. I therefore consider the applicant has demonstrated the essential need of this location.

• The proposed mast is not directly overlooked by any residential properties.

• In terms of the health issues of a telecommunication mast, the Isle of Man has no specific guidelines in how to deal with such concerns. However, the UK Government has produced such advice in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 – Telecommunications (PPG8). PPG8 expressly advises that where a proposed telecommunications installation conforms to the recommendation of The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (The Stewart Report) and the Guidelines for the public exposure set by The International Commission On Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) then the local planning authority should have no concerns with regard to health and safety issues.

• The application is accompanied by a certificate of compliance with the World Health Organisation ICNIRP guidelines for public exposure.

• The Health and Safety Inspectorate is responsible for the monitoring of telecommunications installations to ensure compliance with the ICNIRP Guidelines.

Recommendation

I therefore recommend that planning permission be granted subject to conditions in the attached schedule.

Party Status

The Department of Transport and the local authority are, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (c) and (d), considered "interested persons" and as such should be afforded party status.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation: 26.02.2007

Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal

C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions R : Reasons for refusal

• : Notes attached to refusals

C 1.

The development hereby permitted shall commence before the expiration of four years from the date of this notice.

C 2.

This permission relates to the installation of a 11.9m monopole mast with associated equipment cabinets as shown in drawing numbers 000195/1, 113/010 Issue A, 113/012 Issue B, 113/013 Issue B, 113/014 Issue B, 113/017 Issue A and 113/015 Issue A date stamped 5th February, Supporting statement prepared by CH2M Hill dated 30th January 2007, Declaration of Conformity with ICNIRP Public Exposure Guidelines dated 06/11/06.

C 3.

Within one month of the installation of the mast, antennas, transmission dishes and equipment cabinets hereby approved, they shall be colour coated in full accordance with details shown on the approved plans. Any replacement or modification shall be colour coated to match within one month of the works being carried out.

C 4.

In the event of the mast and equipment cabinets erected under this approval becoming redundant it must be taken down and removed from the site within 3 months of cessation of use.

Decision Made : ... Committee Meeting Date : ...

28 February 2007 07/00195/B Page 6 of 6