Loading document...
==== PAGE 1 ====
23/01176/B Page 1 of 7
PLANNING OFFICER REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION
Application No. : 23/01176/B Applicant : Sure (Isle Of Man) Ltd Proposal : Redevelopment of an existing Sure Mobile site that will consist of replacing the current telegraph pole with a new 10 meter slimline lattice with multiple mobile panel antennas/dishes/radio kit with associated ground equipment cabinets and boundary fence Site Address : Field 321028 Ellerslie Farm Old Church Road Crosby Isle Of Man
Senior Planning Officer: Mr Jason Singleton Photo Taken :
Site Visit :
Expected Decision Level : Officer Delegation
Recommendation
Recommended Decision:
Permitted Date of Recommendation: 15.12.2023 __
Conditions and Notes for Approval
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. The development hereby approved shall be begun before the expiration of four years from the date of this decision notice.
Reason: To comply with Article 26 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019 and to avoid the accumulation of unimplemented planning approvals.
C 2. Unless otherwise approved in writing by the Department, any telecommunications cabinet, mounted equipment or telecommunications structure must be removed from the land on which it is situated, within 6 months of it no longer being required for telecommunications purposes, and such land must be restored to its condition before the development took place, so far as is practicable.
Reason: To ensure that any redundant infrastructure is removed and to comply with Strategic Plan Infrastructure Policy 3.
C 3. The development hereby approved shall not commence until further details of the antennas, dishes and remote radio heads to be installed have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Department. The development shall not be carried out unless in accordance with the approved details and shall be retained as such thereafter unless a variation or
==== PAGE 2 ====
23/01176/B Page 2 of 7
alteration is permitted under Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Telecommunications) Development Order 2019 (or any alteration/replacement of that order).
Reason: To ensure appropriate use of the mast for telecommunication equipment.
C 4. Notwithstanding the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) Order 2012 (or any amendment or replacement of that order) no fencing, walling or gates shall be erected at the site other than: as shown on the approved plans; permitted by the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) (Temporary Use or Development) Order 2015; and/or as shown on the drawing entitled, "Temporary Mast and Temporary Work Area".
Reason: to ensure the development is carried out in accordance with the approved plans in the interests of the visual amenity of the area.
C 5. The temporary mast and temporary fencing as shown on the drawing entitled, "Temporary Mast and Temporary Work Area" shall be removed from the site within 2 weeks of the new mast being brought into use.
Reason: to prevent the retention on site of temporary works which would be detrimental to the visual amenity of the area.
This application has been recommended for approval for the following reason. The proposed application is not considered to harm the use and enjoyment of neighbouring properties and would comply with aforementioned planning policies of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, specifically those sections of Environment Policy 1, 22; General Policy 2 (b,c,g); General Policy 3 and Infrastructure Policy 3 is recommended for approval.
Plans/Drawings/Information;
This decision relates to drawings and supporting information received on 19 October 2023, referenced; Location Plan (IOM_15/010 Issue B) Site Layout (IOM_15/012 Issue E) Existing Elevations (IOM_15/013 Issue C) Proposed Elevations (IOM_15/014 Issue E) Temporary Mast and Temporary Work Area (IOM_15/015 Issue B) ICNIRP Declaration Planning Support Statement __
Interested Person Status - Additional Persons
None __
Officer’s Report
THE SITE 1.1 The application site comprises a small part of Field 321028 located on the northern side of the B35 (Old Church Road) linking Crosby (north) to the junction with the A24 (south) and approximately 150 meters south west from the Old Marown School, currently used as a Government run educational facility for the visually impaired, and falls outside of a defined settlement boundary within the countryside.
==== PAGE 3 ====
23/01176/B Page 3 of 7
1.2 The site lies within the countryside where at present there is on site; an 8m telegraph pole with two antennas affixed and at ground level their associated infrastructure cabinets and enclosed with stock proof fencing.
1.3 To the immediate south approx. 15m high overhead high voltage cables and their supporting telegraph poles at regular intervals.
THE PROPOSAL 2.1 Planning permission is being sought for the redevelopment of an existing Sure Mobile site that will consist of replacing the current telegraph pole with a new 10- meter slim-line lattice tower to which would be mounted: 3x panel antennas; 2x dishes; 6x remote radio heads with associated ground equipment cabinets and two equipment cabinets (0.7x0.7x1.8m).
2.2 To facilitate the new installation, the existing pole and infrastructure would be removed and a small part of the site within the existing fenced off area would be excavated down to expand the working area of the existing level site and would see the installation of a 400mm high retaining wall to two sides. The compound would measure 6.3m x 4.3m with stock proof fencing and a pedestrian access point.
2.3 It is to be noted during the decommissioning of the existing and the erection and commissioning of the new mast and equipment, a temporary mast mounted to a wheeled trailer will be installed to the west of the site and fenced off with Heras fencing, all of which will be removed on completion of the new tower.
2.4 At present the specification of the 'antennas' specification are not known but the agents confirm; "Equipment Cabinets & Antenna sizes/locations and quantities are indicative as the final vendor decision has not yet been made, sizing will be confirmed with planning ahead of installation"
2.5 The application has been submitted by one of the Island's licensed operators (Sure Mobile) and is accompanied by a certificate of compliance with the World Health Organisation's ICNIRP guidelines for public exposure. (ICNIRP - "International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation")
2.6 The applicant notes; "The proposed structure will be capable of supporting multiple panel antennas, providing 2G, 3G and 4G/4G+ coverage in the area along with capability to support next generation mobile antenna technology, tower mounted remote radio heads (RRHs) will also be mounted near the new antennas, these are required to support MIMO* on the network".
PLANNING HISTORY 3.1 06/02213/B - Installation of an 8m monopole mast with associated equipment cabinets. Approved.
3.2 It would be pertinent to consider a similar application approx. 200m to the north of this site and adjacent to the Old Marown School is; 22/00246/B - Erection of a telecommunications base station comprising two antenna arrays installed on a 15m tower with associated ground equipment.
PLANNING POLICY 4.1 The application site is identified on the Area Plan for the East as 'white land' and within an area of countryside that is not designated for development on Map 10 - Crosby & Glen Vine. The site is not within a Conservation Area or an area at risk of flooding.
4.2 The following policies from the 2016 Strategic Plan are considered pertinent in the assessment of this application;
==== PAGE 4 ====
23/01176/B Page 4 of 7
Strategic Policy 1 Efficient use of land and resources 2 Priority for new development to identified towns and villages 3 To respect the character of our towns and villages 4b Protection of the landscape and biodiversity 5 Design and visual impact
Spatial Policy 5 New development will be located within defined settlement. Development in the countryside will only be permitted in accordance with General Policy 3
General Policy 2b,c,g General Development Considerations 3e Exceptions to development in the countryside
Environment Policy 1 Protection of the countryside 22 Safeguarding the environment and/or the amenities of surrounding properties
Infrastructure Policy 3 Need for communications infrastructure versus environmental impacts
4.3 The Isle of Man government has an overarching series of strategies and policies that are considered materially relevant to the assessment of this application. This includes the Isle of Man Government Climate Change Plan 2022-2027; which promotes a more sustainable approach to living and working, one of which is remote working.
REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Marown Parish Commissioners - no objection 17.11.23 5.2 Highways Services do not object 27.10.23
ASSESSMENT 6.1 The main issues to consider in the assessment of this planning application are as follows:
PRINCIPLE 6.1 The site falls outside of a defined settlement boundary within the open countryside. General Policy 3 advises that whilst development will not normally be permitted outside of those areas which are zoned for development. One such exception to this however comprises location dependent development in connection with the provision of necessary services.
6.2 Equally, Infrastructure Policy 3 and its supporting text advises that the maintenance and improvement of the Island's telecommunications systems will necessitate a balance to be struck between the need for new and evolving communications systems, particularly to satisfy the needs of residential and business demand, and the impact of such required development upon the environment.
6.3 The application is submitted by Sure Mobile due to the lack of available 3G/4G coverage in the wider area of Crosby, with customers presently having difficulty in accessing the mobile network. The submission indicates that the proposed installation will have the capabilities to address both indoor and outdoor coverage demands within the surrounding area, whilst significantly increasing the level of coverage within the Crosby/Glen Vine area as demonstrated as part of the submission.
==== PAGE 5 ====
23/01176/B Page 5 of 7
6.4 The development therefore further receives support from the Climate Change Plan 2022-2027 through improved network infrastructure that would allow for increased levels of home/remote working within the wider Crosby area.
6.5 The applicant has provided information on other sites which were considered in order to deliver the necessary infrastructure to increase network coverage, however it has been demonstrated that the selected site would provide the greatest coverage to the intended area of population with minimal topographic effect on signal propagation. Moreover, the existing telegraph pole located further along Old Church Road, whilst being considered, was noted as not being able to cater for the quantity of equipment to support multiple operators.
6.6 The other consideration was mast sharing with Manx Telecom under their recent approval under 22/00246/B, however the applicant advised; "this new structure has been discounted due to it not being designed to be a dual operator structure, so it would not be able to support both operators radio kit on the structure".
6.7 Given the above, the proposals are considered to gain support in principle, subject to compliance with other relevant policies of the Development Plan, particularly in relation to design, visual and residential amenity impact, as discussed further below.
DESIGN AND VISUAL IMPACT 6.8 Notwithstanding the above, and the proposed development as noted in section 2 of this report, the design and specific siting of the proposed mast and equipment, and the extent to which the visual impact arising from its appearance would be need careful consideration. The opening sentence of Infrastructure Policy 3 is helpful when balancing the need and any visual impact: "A balance must be struck between the need for new, evolving communications systems to satisfy residential and business demand and the impact that the necessary infrastructure will have upon the environment."
6.9 The proposals include a 10m high slim line lattice tower comprising a width of 1m, with associated equipment within the existing compound surrounding that is enclosed with post and wire fencing. The proposed mast, of galvanised steel, and also of a minimal structure through which sky behind would be partially visible, not forgetting most of the mast would be affixed with various equipment (multiple mobile panel antennas/dishes/radio kit) which would certainly be seen from nearby and also further afield. However this would be no higher or any more prominent than the existing poles used to support the High Voltage Cable running across the site and in close proximity.
6.10 With that said, the lattice tower being the most visible element of the proposal would clearly have some degree of visual impact over and above the existing telegraph pole with its associated equipment. However, the magnitude of the development's intrusion upon the wider rural landscape would not be so detrimental, especially given the current situation on site and utilising the existing site compound whilst updating its infrastructure. The scope of works would not be introducing excess levels of development on the site/ field.
6.11 With regard to the associated cabinets and compound fencing would all be at a low level with only the upper proportions of the two equipment cabinets being visible above the boundary Manx stone wall. As such that their visual impact would be negligible and would not be seen as in conflict with Environmental Policy 1 where there would arise ab adverse impact upon the countryside, over and above the existing impact.
6.12 On balance, the benefits of providing the required equipment to increase network coverage are considered to outweigh the limited visual harm resulting from the development, particularly in the context of the Government's ambition to improve public infrastructure and promote remote/home working as part of the Government's plan to achieve net zero status for
==== PAGE 6 ====
23/01176/B Page 6 of 7
the Island by 2050. On this basis, it is considered that the proposal would not create any visual harm or intrusion into the countryside and would conform to those parts of Environmental Policy 1, General Policy 2(b,c) and Infrastructure Policy 3.
RESIDENTIAL AMENITY 6.13 The site is located a substantial distance from the closest residential properties which ensures that their residential amenities would not be materially affected as a result of the proposals. The development is therefore compliant with General Policy 2(g) and Environmental Policy 22.
OTHER MATTERS 6.14 In terms of health issues associated with a telecommunication mast, the Isle of Man has no specific guidelines in how to deal with such concerns. However, guidance in the United Kingdom (since replaced with less specific guidance) expressly advised 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.
6.15 The application is accompanied by a certificate of compliance with the World Health Organisation ICNIRP guidelines for public exposure, and the 'Health and Safety at Work Inspectorate' is responsible for the monitoring of telecommunications installations to ensure compliance with the ICNIRP Guidelines. No concerns relating to the safety of the general public are therefore raised.
6.16 The proposed equipment to be affixed to the mast are shown on the plans with indicative sizes however the agent advises; "the 2 microwave links, the size/location of the dishes on the included drawings for this application are indicative until a final vendor decision has been made". As such, whilst the principle of the telecom functioning equipment affixed to the mast has been shown and the quantity of units, those specific details can be conditioned to ensure specifics and dimensions are submitted prior to commencement on site to ensure the mast is appropriately utilised for telecommunication equipment as shown on the plans.
7.0 CONCLUSION 7.1 For the above reasons, it is concluded that the planning application would not harm the use and enjoyment of neighbouring properties or the highway network and would comply with aforementioned planning policies of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016, and is recommended for approval.
8.0 INTERESTED PERSON STATUS 8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2019, the following persons are automatically interested persons: (a) the applicant (including an agent acting on their behalf); (b) any Government Department that has made written representations that the Department considers material; (c) the Highways Division of the Department of Infrastructure; (d) Manx National Heritage where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (e) Manx Utilities where it has made written representations that the Department considers material; (f) the local authority in whose district the land the subject of the application is situated; and (g) a local authority adjoining the authority referred to in paragraph (f) where that adjoining authority has made written representations that the Department considers material.
8.2 The decision maker must determine:
==== PAGE 7 ====
23/01176/B Page 7 of 7
o whether any other comments from Government Departments (other than the Department of Infrastructure Highway Services Division) are material; and o whether there are other persons to those listed above who should be given Interested Person Status __
I can confirm that this decision has been made by the Head of Development Management in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation and that in making this decision the Officer has agreed the recommendation in relation to who should be afforded Interested Person Status
Decision Made : Permitted Date : 15.12.2023
Determining officer
Signed : S BUTLER
Stephen Butler
Head of Development Management
Customer note
This copy of the officer report reflects the content of the file copy and has been produced in this form for the benefit of our online services/ customers and archive records.
Copyright in submitted documents remains with their authors. Request removal