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Application No.: 18/00646/TEL Applicant: Sure (IOM) Ltd Proposal: Installation of 12m high free standing lattice mast in grounds Site Address: Department Of Home Affairs Tromode Road Douglas Isle Of Man IM2 5PA Senior Planning Officer: Mr Jason Singleton Expected Decision Level: Officer Delegation Recommended Decision: Permitted Date of Recommendation: 05.09.2018 _________________________________________________________________
C : Conditions for approval N : Notes attached to conditions
C 1. In the event of the lattice mast and cabinets erected under this approval become 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 its previous state.
Reason: In the interests of the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area.
This approval relates to drawings referenced; IOM-55/010/B; IOM-55/011/B (labelled-site layout; south west elevation; north west elevation); IOM-55/012/B; all date stamped received on; 15th June 2018
_______________________________________________________________ Interested Person Status – Additional Persons
It is recommended that the following organisation should not be given Interested Person Status as they are not considered to have sufficient interest in the subject matter of the application to take part in any subsequent proceedings and are not mentioned in Article 6(4):
The Isle of Man Victorian Society as they do not own or occupy property that is within 20m of the application site and the development is not automatically required to be the subject of an
EIA by Appendix 5 of the Strategic Plan, in accordance with paragraph 2B of the Policy and they have not explained how the development would impact the lawful use of land owned or occupied by them and in relation to the relevant issues identified in paragraph 2C of the Policy, as is required by paragraph 2D of the Department's Operational Policy on Interested Person Status July 2018). _____________________________________________________________________________
Officer’s Report THE APPLICATION SITE
1.1 The application site, as identified in red, is the former Water Board headquarters otherwise known as the 'Drill Hall' located on the eastern side of Tromode Road, and now operated by the Department of Home Affairs. The building sits with an area surrounded by vehicle parking and industrial storage compound to the rear. The land/buildings are shared amongst other Government departments and Civil Defence, Army Cadets and Police. - 1.2 The area of the site that is the subject of this application is located to the rear (east) in between a pair of industrial type buildings approx. 6m in height to the north; and the drill hall cottages which are now offices to the south. To the west is the Drill hall building. At the east is a steep embankment with mature trees. PROPOSAL
2.1 Proposed is the installation of a 12m high free standing triangular lattice tower and supported by 2x equipment cabinets which house the associated electronic equipment at ground level. Affixed to the upper portions of the lattice tower are three mobile phone panel antennas and one 300m dish. The area around the lattice tower and cabinets would be screened/ protected with a 1.2m high timber fence. - 2.2 The application 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".) - 2.3 The application also details, the proposed signal coverage from the antenna and estimated connection speeds for the users of the adjacent buildings and the wider surrounding area for residents. Confirmation from the applicant confirms this site has been selected in conjunction with the IOM Government Property's and GTS as the optimum location to provide coverage to the desired area. PLANNING HISTORY
3.1 The site has been the subject of a number of previous applications, none of which is directly relevant to the current proposal. Recently, the site has been the subject of applications for the erection of two Emergency Services buildings, for the conversion of the cottages to offices (PA 15/00957/C), and alterations to the buildings (PAs 15/00764/B, 15/00381/B and 15/00320/B). PLANNING POLICY - 4.1 In terms of local plan policy, the application site is within an area designated as an Area or Building of Civic, Cultural and other special use - Government Use. This generic category includes Civil Defence, Fire Station, central and local Government and Police Headquarters - the functions of DHA). The site is not within a Conservation Area.
4.2 The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2016 contains the following policies that are considered specifically material to the assessment of this application; - 4.3 General Policy 2 (GP2) (in part)
Development which is in accordance with the land-use zoning and proposals in the appropriate Area Plan and with other policies of this Strategic Plan will normally be permitted, provided that the development:
4.4 Infrastructure Policy 3: "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. Measures which may help to achieve a satisfactory balance will include a presumption against visually intrusive masts in sensitive landscapes, the encouragement of mast sharing by different operators, and the removal of redundant infrastructure. Exceptions to this policy would need to demonstrate a strategic national need, which cannot be otherwise secured by mast sharing or alternative locations."
REPRESENTATIONS
5.1 Douglas Borough Council has no objection (received on 23/07/18)
5.2 Highways Services have commented and confirm there is no Highways Interest in the proposal (received on 24/07/18) - 5.3 Director of Public Health was consulted on 24/07/18 but no comments were received. - 5.4 The Isle of Man Victorian Society has commented (09/07/18),seeking the advert to be re-advertised as the description of who occupies the building is incorrect, in that is not IOM water Authority as they are part of the MUA and based at Cooil Road and the building is now owned and operated by Department of Home Affairs.
ASSESMENT
6.1 Under the Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development) (Telecommunications) Order 2013, permission is granted for the erection of masts under 15 metres high for telecommunication purposes.
6.2 Telecommunication companies who wish to exercise this development right have to inform the Department via a prior notification procedure. This notification then gives the Department the opportunity to consider the siting and design of the proposed installation, which is the circumstance here. This application was advertised in the local newspaper 'courier' on 4th July, inviting comments by 20th July 2018. - 6.3 The Department, having concluded that prior approval to the siting and design is required, must determine whether or not the details submitted are acceptable (leading to an approval) or not acceptable (leading to a refusal). - 6.4 A telecommunications prior notification application such as this one limits the Department's consideration of the proposals to the siting and design of the proposed installation. Infrastructure Policy 3 is perhaps the key policy. - 6.5 The new mast has been selected to provide the minimum mast height that will provide coverage to the area as per the IoM Government, requirements, as a code systems operator. The height and width of the mast are as a result of its function and purpose and the triangular design has been chosen as it is an open structure and will have a low visual impact on the amenity of the area.
6.6 This specific area has been chosen as part of a screening process and addressing a weak spot in the area. The existing tower at Vagabonds rugby club, which provides cover for the area, struggles to provide adequate signal to Drill hall site, due to the natural topography of being in the bottom of a valley and that the area is largely surrounded by mature trees. The siting of the lattice tower towards the rear of the site would screen the lower half by the existing buildings fronting the Highway and only the upper proportions would be marginally visible. Given the amount of built development in this area, the use of the surrounding buildings and the backdrop of mature trees, it is considered that the siting and design is unobjectionable. - 6.7 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. - 6.8 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. It is also noted that the Director of Public Health raises no objection, albeit he did not make a representation to this application having being consulted.
7.1 It is concluded there are no sustainable grounds to oppose this proposal and therefore the recommendation is that, since the details submitted seeking prior approval of the siting and appearance of the development are acceptable, the application should be approved. - 7.2 A time limit of five years is set out within the Telecommunications Order 2013 and, as such, no condition to this end is required to be attached to any approval notice that may be forthcoming.
8.1 By virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) (No 2) Order 2013 (Article 6(4), the following persons are automatically interested persons:
I can confirm that this decision has been made by a Principal Planner in accordance with the authority afforded to that Officer by the appropriate DEFA Delegation.
Decision Made : Permitted Date: 13.09.2018 Determining officer
Signed : C BALMER Chris Balmer Principal Planner
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