Masts & Antennae

IRELAND

Some countries are putting guidelines around placement near residential areas, and places where children spend a lot of time (school, home, care centres). Other countries are also reducing the power output or encouraging providers to share services rather than placing more antennae on masts.

In Ireland, no such guidelines are in place. Mobile phone and wireless broadband companies, An Bord Planeala, local councils and government agencies in Ireland do not consider any health risks from mobile phone mast radiation.  They actually do not care and allow them to be placed near schools, on roofs of hospitals, and on GAA and FAI grounds where children frequent.

In 2010, when Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources,  Eamon Ryan, Green Party, launched an initiative to allow shared access mobile phone masts and antennae on local football grounds in exchange for free floodlights.  https://www.fai.ie/domestic/news/shared-access-to-boost-telecoms-infrastructure-with-fai-partnership.

Similar deals are made between GAA clubs and telecoms companies to erect masts on sports grounds in exchange for large sums of money. https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/masts-prove-to-be-a-bonanza-for-gaa-and-soccer-38829820.html

Planning Changes

http://irishplanningnews.ie/significant-updates-to-telecommunication-planning-guidelines/

In 2012 the Minister of the Environment, Community and Local Government issued an update to certain sections of the Telecommunications Antennae and Support Structures Guidelines (1996) as used by the planning department.  This stated that separation distances from vulnerable places such as schools in development plans, should not now be included in applications and, conditions limiting the life of telecommunication masts and antennas should cease.

The Minister included two reminders i.e. that health grounds should not be considered as part of the planning application and that ‘all future Development Contribution Schemes must include waivers for broadband infrastructure provision … The implications of these changes for local communities who might wish to object to such infrastructure was they could no longer initiate their campaign on policies quoting separation distances as a viable reason to object and, the potential that the previous temporary nature of permission had allowed in challenging application for renewal had ended.

“2.3 The Development Plan and Separation Distances The 1996 Guidelines advised that planning authorities should indicate in their development plans any locations where, for various reasons, telecommunications installations would not be favoured or where special conditions would apply, and suggested that such locations might include lands whose high amenity value is already recognised in a development plan, protected structures, or sites beside schools. While the policies above are reasonable, there has, however, been a growing trend for the insertion of development plan policies and objectives specifying minimum distances between telecommunications structures from houses and schools, e.g. up to 1km. Such distance requirements, without allowing for flexibility on a case-by-case basis, can make the identification of a site for new infrastructure very difficult. Planning authorities should therefore not include such separation distances as they can inadvertently have a major impact on the roll out of a viable and effective telecommunications network.”

https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/migrated-files/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Planning/FileDownLoad%2C31650%2Cen.pdf

A further update in 2018 on the planning guidelines allow for higher structures and more antennae and dishes on masts, as well as “new exemption specifically relating to the deployment of small cell antennae to smaller structures including electricity poles, telegraph poles, lamp posts, lighting structures, flag poles, CCTV poles, phone kiosks and bus shelters”  giving even more leeway to telecommunications companies.

https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/pl_01-2018_amendments_to_the_exempted_development_provisions (pages 5 & 6)

1998 Oireachtas Report on Non-Ionising Microwave Radiation Emissions from Communication Masts (Including evidence from concerned groups) http://archive.oireachtas.ie/1998/REPORT_26111998_0.html

OBJECT TO MOBILE PHONE MASTS AND ANTENNAE

As outlined above, many new installations of antennae, equipment and monopoles are exempt from Planning Permission due to height, placement, existing structure etc but can be appealed to An Bord Pleanala.

However, some new structures or extensions of masts do still require planning permission.  Please keep a close eye on your County Council’s Planning section on their websites, or site notices in your area, and object to any installation and/or extension of mobile phone masts and antennae.  Get your neighbours to object also.  Each submission costs only €20.

See Mast Watch Ireland for up to date information on planning applications in Ireland

To find out location of mobile phone antennae near you visit Comreg Site Finder. 

*Comreg References:

GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) =   2G   (2nd Generation) ;

UMTS   (Universial Mobile Telecommunications System) =    3G   (3rd Generation) ;

LTE (Long Term Evolution)  =   4G (4th Generation mobile telephony).

NR (New Radio) = 5G (5th Generation)

The ComReg site does not show the locations of Tetra masts used for Gardai and emergency services communications, or Fixed Wireless Broadband, eg WiMax, or Wifi Hotspots.