Officer Planning Report Recommendations

Planning Report And Recommendations {{table:296166}} ### Considerations {{table:296159}} ### Written Representations {{table:296160}} {{table:296161}} {{table:296162}} {{table:296163}} ### Consultations {{table:296164}} {{table:296165}}

Officer's Report

SITE

• The application site is located approximately 120m north of the Stoney Mountain Road.

• The site is currently a telecommunications site, which is being used by the Department of Home Affairs (Emergency Service communication system) and National Grid Wireless (TV Relay).
• The existing mast is currently 17m in height.
• The site is not zoned for development in the Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) 1982.
• The application site is surrounded by agricultural fields.
• The nearest residential property is set 160m to the south west of the application site.

Proposed Development

• The application is proposing a re-development of the existing site comprising of the removal of the existing mast and the installation of a 17.5m high monopole mast.
• The mast will have 3 no. panel antennas and a 300mm dish to serve the Cable and Wireless network. Furthermore the DHA antenna and dish from the existing mast will be installed onto the replacement mast.
• The replacement mast will also accommodate the TV relay equipment from the existing mast. The mast will also accommodate any equipment for the Digital Switchover.
• Three equipment cabinets will be installed on site.

Development Plan Policies

• Isle of Man Planning Scheme (Development Plan) Order 1982.
• Isle of Man Strategic Plan (Modified Draft) (April 2007)

Planning History

• 00/00079/B – Erection of replacement mast with antenna and dish and location of equipment cabin – granted 14th June 2000
• 90/01885/B – Construction of radio/TV relay mast and equipment cubicle – granted 5th March 1991

Representations

• Malew Parish Commissioners have not objected to the application.
• The occupier of the Ridings, The Eairy, East Foxdale has objected to the application on health and safety grounds.
• The occupier of The Paddocks, Stoney Mountain Road has objected to the application on health and safety grounds.
• The occupier of Lapwings, The Eairy, East Foxdale has objected on health and safety grounds

Assessment

• The re-development of the existing site is to allow Cable and Wireless to provide coverage into Foxdale.
• The applicant has indicated that in accordance with Government advice the proposal by Cable and Wireless is to make use of an existing and well established telecommunications site. The shared use of this existing site looks to be the best balance in terms of operational and environmental considerations.

• The existing mast is of a lightweight design and not structurally capable of supporting any additional apparatus. The redevelopment of the site has been a result of pre-application consultation with the Department. The applicant's intention was to erect a replacement lattice mast of a greater height and bulk than that currently installed at the site, which was considered unacceptable in terms of design and scale. I also requested that the size of the mast be reduced to afford protection to the visual amenities of the local area.

• Therefore the applicant has now opted for a monopole mast which is generally of the same height as the existing lattice mast. The type of monopole mast is the same type as the recently approved masts for Cable and Wireless in other locations across the Island.

• The existing and proposed structures are alien features which would affect the character of the countryside. The existing mast is currently set 120m away from the public highway of Stoney Mountain Road. The replacement mast is of a similar height to the existing and will be visible from the public highway, however I do not consider the slight increase in height and the change in design will cause any further harm to the landscape than which currently exists.

• The policy contained within the Strategic Plan in relation to communications systems, sets out an exception for allowing a visually intrusive mast in a sensitive location by demonstrating strategic national need which cannot be otherwise secured by mast sharing or alternative locations.

• As to national need, it has been stated in the Inspectors report for a site at Ballnalargy, Dalby (PA 05/00844 refers) that the Government has 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 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, there is a strategic national need in terms of the Department of Home Affairs equipment as this forms part of the TETRA system for the emergency services. This need is already met by the existing mast and therefore, the Department of Home Affairs do not need a new mast. The mast will also accommodate the existing TV relay equipment along with additional equipment for the digital switchover which will take place in 2008.

• However the test of essential location is a different test; the site is a well established telecommunication site for TV and the Emergency Services and I therefore consider the test of essential location is not necessary in this case due to the long established use of the site as a telecommunications site.

• It has been a Government policy objective to encourage telecommunications operators, wherever practicable, to share a mast and sites, as a means of reducing the overall mast numbers. I consider the current proposal is the most preferable as it has the least impact on the visual amenities of the locality.

• The mast sharing option reduces the need for an additional mast to be erected within the countryside. I consider the applicant has taken all the necessary steps to limit the impact of the proposed mast within the landscape through its siting and design so as not to be too visually intrusive in the landscape.

• It should be noted that the plans do not indicate whether the mast and its associated equipment cabinets will be colour coated. However, the mast is located on higher ground above the A24 and the Stoney Mountain Road. The views from the Stoney Mountain Road are of a mast with a skyscape as a backdrop. I consider the colour coating of the mast would make the mast more conspicuous within the area and be visually intrusive. I therefore consider the mast should not be colour coated in this instance.

• However, the equipment cabinets will be at ground level where vegetation acts as a foreground and background to the cabinets. I consider the proposed cabinets should be colour coated so as to blend into the landscape. I consider that a condition should be attached to require the applicant to submit details of the colour coating before the works commence.

• 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 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.

The occupiers of The Ridings, The Paddocks and Lapwing have raised concerns about health and safety issues surrounding telecommunication equipment. These concerns are not a material planning consideration and as such, the occupiers of those properties should not be afforded interested party status in this instance.

Recommendation

Recommended Decision: Permitted

Date of Recommendation: 15.06.2007

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 17.5m monopole mast with associated equipment cabinets as shown in drawing numbers 16898_28_160_M05_05, 16898_28_150_M05_05, 16898_28_100_M05_05, TP 16898.004/1, 16898.005/1, 16898_28_101_M05_05, 16898_28_102_M05_05 date stamped 27th April 2007, Supporting Statement from National Grid Wireless dated 27th April 2007, Declaration of Conformity with ICNIRP Public Exposure Guidelines dated 18th May 2007.

C 3. Within one month of the installation of the equipment cabinets hereby approved, the cabinets shall be colour coated in full accordance with details to be submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority. Any replacement or modification shall be colour coated to match within one month of being carried out.

C 4. In the event of the mast and equipment cabinets erected under this approval becoming redundant they must be taken down along with all ancillary infrastructure and be removed from the site within 3 months of the cessation of use and the land restored back to agricultural use.

Decision Made: Approved Committee Meeting Date: 29.6.07