Planning permission has been refused for the construction of a 25m mobile mast on the Moneenageisha road in Galway City.
ESB Telecomms sought approval to erect a 25m high monopole mobile mast to carry communications dishes and antennae at the existing ESB substation in the area.
The mast would have been within a 2.4m high fenced compound on a site at the junction of the Moneenageisha Road and the Tuam Road.
Nine objections were received by the city council concerning this project, noting that it would have a negative visual impact on nearby homes and Bohermore cemetery.
It was also argued that there is already a 42m high mobile mast nearby, and that the developer had not suitably showed that there were no other suitable sites in the area.
Objectors argued that there is plenty of additional capacity remaining on the mast near Wayfair House, and that this development would be an unnecessary duplication of infrastructure.
The developer proposed to reduce the height of the mast to 20m in response to concerns from the council, but this was not accepted either by those objecting to the project, or by council planning inspectors.
Galway City Council refused planning permission for the mast on three grounds.
Firstly, the council said that even with the height reduced to 20m, the height of the tower would be “out of character” with development in the area, and detrimental to residential amenity.
The City Development Plan also states that masts shall only be erected in or near residential areas where all other locations have been exhausted, and potential impacts minimised, and the council said the proposed development does not meet that standard.
Finally it was stated that this development would be “premature” while the Land Development Agency and City Council are studying the viability of building large amounts of housing nearby at a site on Sandy Road.
