**Document:** Trinity Church Spire Support Statement **Application:** 22/00128/LAW — Certificate of Proposed Development for the installation of telecommunication equipment and wire mesh in church tower **Decision:** Certificate of Lawful Use/Devel Approved **Decision Date:** 2022-10-28 **Parish:** Braddan **Document Type:** report / planning_statement **Source:** https://planningportal.im/a/25019-braddan-trinity-methodist-church-rosemount-certificate-development/documents/1327508 --- # Trinity Church Spire Support Statement Certificate of Lawfulness Application Trinity Church Spire FOR Sure (IOM) Ltd AT Sure Site 52 Trinity Church Rosemount Douglas, IOM Application Supporting Statement DATE: 26 July 2022 PREPARED BY: Steven Allan Sure IOM Ltd Sure IOM REF: Site 52 Trinity Church ## Introduction In 2006/7 Sure Isle of Man Limited (Sure) was awarded an Isle of Man (IOM) Mobile Operators Licence, issued by the island's Communications Commission, to provide a mobile phone network and services to the island's inhabitants and visitors. This service competes with the incumbent operator (Manx Telecom) and allows greater choice and competition for consumers and businesses. The mobile phone network consists of a number of sites that house various pieces of equipment to provide coverage in the vicinity, such as panel antennae, and also transmission dishes that link sites together. Combined with other sites they are designed to provide an extensive, continuous network. Sure will endeavour, whenever possible, to install its equipment on existing infrastructure or radio transmitters. The aim is always to minimise the visual impact of providing mobile phone network infrastructure. ### History The mobile service around the Trinity church / Woodbourne Lane area is currently served by a temporary trailer mast which was installed in 2019 following increased demands from customer and to ensure sufficient coverage for Critical Services such as 999 calls. Our recent planning application (ref 20/01538/B) to replace this temporary structure was refused on appeal in 2021. This application provides an alternative approach utilising an existing structure that does not need to be changed externally whilst also providing the extra benefit to the landlord of additional income to assist with the building's maintenance. ### The Proposal Our proposal is to install internal mesh sheeting, Internal Steel bracing and Telecommunications equipment inside the Spire of Trinity Church. The mesh sheeting to be installed Inside the window enclosures of the Spire. Please see photo page 5. This proposal will not alter the building or its external appearance. All work and installation would be internal to the structure. In addition, our equipment inside the building will be obscured by the installation of internal curtains, inside the windows, behind which our equipment would reside. - Curtains - we would install a durable mesh sheet inside the spire windows. This would act as internal screening similar to internal blinds or curtains inside the windows. Black is the preferred colour for the mesh as we feel it will provide the best approach to obscure and hide the equipment being installed. It will also be in keeping with how the spire currently looks from the majority locations when viewed from the ground. - Internal structure and equipment - This mesh will help obscure from sight the internal structural steel work, required to brace the spire and the telecommunications equipment installed in the upper part of the Spire. All steel work and telecommunications equipment visible to the public will be pained black so as to resemble the current internal view of the Spire. Following review by a structural engineer it is anticipated that the internal steel bracing will be subject to building control and therefore a separate building control application will be submitted. ## Supp ### Application site Trinity Methodist Church, Rosemount, Douglas (see enclosed site location Plan). Installation internally in Church Spire. ### Equipment list ### Mesh A sample of the proposed mesh has been attached to this application. This will be installed internally and act as a partial screen to the antenna and steel work. It will also prevent birds roosting in the spire as their guano can cause a Health and Safety risk to engineers working on the equipment. ### Antenna Kathrien 80010698 installed in window embrasures. Painted Mat Black to match background up to 8 installed. Data sheet enclosed. Antenna will be installed in the spire windows facing North $0^{\circ}, 45^{\circ}$, $270^{\circ}$ and $315^{\circ}$. The number of antenna, 8 , is to take in to account future development of Mobile phone Technology in the next 2 or 3 years, it is anticipated that 4 antenna will be required immediately. ### Radio Equipment ### Remote Radio units (RRU) Huawei RRU These may be mounted behind the antenna or below window hight, 4 RRU per antenna will be required one for each operational frequency band. Please see appendix A for dimensions. ### Controller and power units This will consist of 2 cabinets, Huawei 3900 or Wall mounted OMB. These will be mounted inside the midlevel of the spire. ### Steel Bracing and Antenna support Internal Steel bracing will be installed at approximately 12.5 m internally in the mid-section of the Spire. A steel column will rise to approximately 21 m internally, this will support the antenna installed in the windows. Please see enclosed Structural engineers' drawings (Structural Details for Telecommunications Equipment). ### Summary - No external changes to the building are being proposed - Installation of mesh (curtains) inside the existing windows - This mesh will help obscure the public view of new internal steel work and equipment installed in the tower - All equipment visible to the public painted black so as to blend with the existing predominantly black background, as viewed from ground. - A separate building control application will be submitted --- *Data sourced from the Isle of Man public planning register under the [Isle of Man Open Government Licence](https://www.gov.im/about-this-site/open-government-licence/).* *Canonical page: https://planningportal.im/a/25019-braddan-trinity-methodist-church-rosemount-certificate-development/documents/1327508*