221211 — 25/90517/B | Planning Portal IoM | Isle of Man Planning Portal

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Atlantic House, 4-8 Circular Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1AG. T +44 (0)7624 247 247 www.sure.com Sure (Isle of Man) Limited Incorporated in the Isle of Man with Company Registration No. 004621V VAT Registration No. 002 5665 08 Registered Office: Fourth Floor, Atlantic House, 4-8 Circular Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 1AG

Structure Height Reduction

FOR Sure (IOM) Ltd

Sure Site 10 Broadcast House Douglas Head Road Douglas Isle of Man

DATE: 2nd April 2025

PREPARED BY: Alex Taylor Sure IOM Ltd

Sure IOM REF: IOM_10 Broadcast House

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Sure, are proposing to reduce the height of the tower to improve wind loading, intention to remove the top 2 sections which will allow for added load on the lower sections.

The proposed structure will be reduced to a 23-meter square lattice, 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.

*MIMO, Multiple In Multiple Out, this is a protocol required for higher speeds and high capacity 4G/LTE

The Application Site

The proposed location for these works is on the existing structure located at Broadcasting House, Douglas Head.

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We believe that the continued use of the location will provide the best coverage to the area, other options would be to build a new structure adjacent to the existing tower or in the surrounding area, however, this would increase the visual impact of telecoms structures in the area, whereas the proposed plans to reduce the current structures height will decrease the visual impact in the area.

Visual Impact

We believe that the visual impact of the proposed structure will be reduced, due to the structure type being decreased in height, as the slimline lattice will not be replaced, we believe that the structure will be less visually intrusive than previously due to the height reduction any other modern replacement would also have no further visual impact than what is already present. As the current structure is not a solid structure, but rather one that you can essentially look through, it blends in with the surroundings.

The structure itself is a galvanised tower, this helps with mitigating visual impact further due to the structure blending better with the sky behind as you look up at it from surrounding areas

The proposed mast will be reduced in height from 32.6m to 23.1m lessening the visual impact of the current structure.

The proposed location will be in the same location as the current structure.

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There will be no external cabinets on this site, all ground equipment will remain in the telecoms room adjacent to the structure.

Antennas

The following antennas have been selected for the new proposed structure, the visual impact of the antennas should be minimal, due to the structure type and the neutral colour of the panel antennas.

Number of Antennas 3 Air 3268 Antenna Type Active Antenna Unit (AAU) Antenna Manufacturer Ericsson Antenna Height 539 mm Antenna Width 370 mm Antenna Depth 126 mm Antenna Frequency Ranges 3550-3700 MHz

Number of Antennas 3 Antenna Type 2m Panel Antenna Antenna Manufacturer Ericsson Antenna Height 1978mm Antenna Width 378mm Antenna Depth 164mm Antenna Frequency Ranges 698-960 MHz 1427-2690 MHz

Number of RRUS Number of RRU 6 Equipment Type RRU Remote Radio Unit Equipment Manufacturer Ericsson Equipment Height 557mm Equipment Width 398mm Equipment Depth 190mm Antenna Frequency Ranges 698-960 MHz 1427-2690 MHz

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The current structure is incapable of supporting the additional weight of modern radio equipment, with the height reduction this structure will be able to support modern radio equipment from Sure and other vendors due to its improved loading strength.

This will enable the surrounding areas to have access to the next generation of mobile technologies available, these improvements directly support the Isle of Man Governments ‘Island Plan’ which has a vision of a digitally connected Island, that supports a tech enabled and future ready jurisdiction, The surrounding area will benefit from greater network capacity and service due to these improvements to the Sure mobile site.

Telecoms Policies

Isle of Man Government Statutory Boards, Offices & Agencies Plans 2006-2009. Volume 3. a. Page 25 under Communications Commission Aims & Objectives Section: Objective: Social inclusion - to enhance access to services for the whole population: b. “We will enforce universal service obligations by telecoms operators with significant market power. They must provide telephone services throughout the Island,”
Isle of Man Government Statutory Boards< Offices & Agencies Plans 2005-2008. Volume 3 a. Page 20, under Communications Commission Aims & Objectives Section. Objective; The built environment - to reduce the visual impact of telecommunications and radio infrastructure on the island’s landscape. b. “We will encourage increased mast sharing by broadcasters, under the Radio Masts Regulation Act Limitations”.
The Town and Country Planning Act 1999. a. Page 101: “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.”
1. Isle of Man Government Digital Strategy and Digital Inclusion Strategy

https://issuu.com/isleofmangovernment/docs/digital_strategy_v0.1?e=17903168 /13316277 https://www.gov.im/media/1352205/digital-inclusion-strategy-july-2016.pdf

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1.3 “Most people take digital technology and the internet for granted. It is something that has become so deeply embedded in daily life that it is hard to function when access to it is lost.”
2.3 “In line with providing more digital services, Government needs to ensure that residents of the Island are equipped with the access, skills, motivation and trust to go online, to help those who want to be digitally capable to make the most of the internet.”

Sure IOM Ltd believes the proposed installation complies with the Island’s policies and strategies above.

Trees (Within 15-meters of proposed development)

There are a couple of trees outside the boundary of the site that are within 15-meters of the structure, however, the proposed development will have no impact on these as we are only proposing a height reduction on the current structure, there will be no works outside of the site boundary that would effect these trees.

Summary

To summarise, we consider that this application will offer the best available solution to the enhancement of mobile service on the Sure network in the area.

The proposed work to the site will enable Sure to provide improved, reliable coverage to residents and businesses in the surrounding areas, giving them access to the next generation of telecommunication services.

Therefore, the design proposed represents both the optimum planning, environmental and technical solutions in this instance. As such, we believe the development as proposed is in accordance with planning guidance as defined above.