New 80 Foot Mobile phone Mast in Castlebar

oscarBravo

Oldtree wrote: »

See here to see what ABP think about visual amenity:

http://www.pleanala.ie/casenum/226389.htm

Well, sure. If there's a good visual amenity argument - like a sensitive rural scenic area - it's fair enough to object.

I don't have a problem with good, well-reasoned objections to planning applications for mobile towers. I do have an issue with scatter-gun objections ranging from "it's right in the middle of Lough Lannagh" through "our children will be microwaved in their beds" all the way up to the still-mysterious security concerns.

I'm sure I read recently in the new scientist that there are new small black box devices that can be used instead of masts in town and cities that can be put atop, and powered by, lampposts!

Small black boxes are all well and good, but you can't cover much of an area from the top of a lamppost, there's only so much spectrum available for multiple smaller cells, and it's hard to design a decent antenna that fits in a black box.

The laws of physics tend not to be sympathetic to people's irrational (or indeed rational) concerns. Providing decent mobile coverage is hard, and it's not helped by silly objections.

Paparazzo

Any indication of the security concerns? Have castlebar county council have CIA information that al qaeda want to fly a 747 into the proposed mast?

Oldtree

Citizens are entitled to object/observe on any planning application, silly or otherwise. If the observation is silly or not based on a legitimate planning issue it will be rightly ignored, so don't worry about it.

My own belief is that we rely and will rely on tourism for a large part of our fiscal and jobs recovery and what is expected by tourists is a beauitiful clean green landscape. Eco tourism is imo where our future is and anything we can do to augment this business is now a necessity.

The Ballinrobe mast is enormous and visible in the landscape from roads for miles around, and the issue is not the visual appeal but that the mast dominates the landscape and draws the eye. I am not for taking it down but i feel we should be careful with the balance of how we proceed with both masts and wind turbines and any large development in the landscape.

oscarBravo

Oldtree wrote: »

...what is expected by tourists is a beauitiful clean green landscape.

In Castlebar town?

jimmycrackcorm

Oldtree wrote: »

My own belief is that we rely and will rely on tourism for a large part of our fiscal and jobs recovery and what is expected by tourists is a beauitiful clean green landscape. Eco tourism is imo where our future is and anything we can do to augment this business is now a necessity.

Don't tourist use mobile phones?
Don't they have masts where they come from?
What's this Eco-tourism - do you mean tourist want to come here and only see horse and carts and listen to people say begorrah?

Oldtree

While eco tourism may sound twee it is a developing and sustainable future. Having left in the 80's I am acutely aware of the increase of up to 1000 young people leaving Ireland a week and do not want my children brought up for export.

Driving into Castlebar from the Ballinrobe side the wind turbines are clearly visible from a few miles away amongst a green and hilly landscape. I am suggesting care and awareness in the placement of masts, not that we do without them and return to being a rural backwater of the 50's.

The planning system and laws and develpoment plans are there not only to push forward development but to protect our natural assets.

PogMoThoin

Whatever about masts, I see wind turbines as things of beauty which show us as making use of one of the best resources, there isn't half enough of them.

yop

PogMoThoin wrote: »

Whatever about masts, I see wind turbines as things of beauty which show us as making use of one of the best resources, there isn't half enough of them.

Absolutely, I think they are class to watch from a distance. Was out running by them this morning and they are really immense.

I don't agree with masts been in the wrong place but that said if we can't get our internet access or get our phonecalls then eco tourism isn't going to save our County.

Oldtree

Turbines can be mesmerising.

We are already way behind with internet access and optic fibre access is common place in London and unlightly to be put in place here in Mayo leaving us at a serious disadvantage.

I dont see any one thing saving our country, I see 100's of efforts doing just that. That is why I believe that we have to think about what we do on many levels and try to value them assuch.

PogMoThoin

Miles behind in WiMax and LTE coverage too

yop

Oldtree wrote: »

Turbines can be mesmerising.

We are already way behind with internet access and optic fibre access is common place in London and unlightly to be put in place here in Mayo leaving us at a serious disadvantage.

I dont see any one thing saving our country, I see 100's of efforts doing just that. That is why I believe that we have to think about what we do on many levels and try to value them assuch.

Well hopefully and as "local" as this sounds, with Mr Kenny at the head of the Government then MAYBE we might get something down this way.
Fair point there are many many things which we have and could/should work on. But we need to mix them correctly, tourism is a great thing and we have great natural beauty in our County, but I do also think that turbines, tastyfully placed, could provide us with a large % of our power needs.

On the internet side of things vast areas of Mayo don't have wired broadband and if it was for the likes of Westnet a lot of us would be without.

Oldtree

Sadly I think that the turbines are going to end up as white elephants. I won't rehash the arguments other than to refer to a previous thread:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055393679

But I agree that the right turbine in the right place. I dont think that onshore turbines will make any real dent in our power needs, imo subsidised startup and running will never make it commercially viable, but I do think there is a real solution in massive offshore combined wind and wave farms (minding those lovely undersea reefs that we have comperable to the red sea!)

Oldtree

Another invallid application. I wonder weather these companies use a planning application to guage public opinion, rather than as planning best practice guidelines suggests that it is a good idea for public consultation before the planning application is lodged!