12 September 2025 · Planning Committee
80, Ballagarey Road, Glen Vine, Isle Of Man, IM4 4ej
The proposal involved three 9m tall wooden telegraph poles (250-300mm diameter, 7-7.5m above ground) positioned on public footpaths adjacent to property boundaries at the junction of Ballagarey Road and Alexander Road in the residential Glen Vine estate, primarily serving bungalows and chalet bungalows with underground…
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The Planning Committee unanimously rejected the officer's recommendation for approval, determining that the three wooden telegraph poles (9m tall) and associated cabling would introduce prominent new …
General Policy 2
GP2 requires development to respect siting/design (b), protect visual amenities/character (c), and safeguard area character (h). Officer assessed poles as acceptable addition akin to street lighting, with limited harm outweighed by need; committee disagreed, finding unacceptable adverse impact on bungalow streetscene lacking such poles.
Infrastructure Policy 3
Balances need for communications infrastructure against environmental impacts. Officer gave weight to fibre necessity for National Broadband Plan; committee prioritised visual harm over need.
Strategic Policy 4
Glen Vine as remaining village supports principle of development in residential zone.
No significant negative impact upon highway safety, network functionality and/or parking as at least 1.2m footway width is maintained around the poles.
Multiple residents and an MHK object to the installation of 3 telegraph poles for fibre connectivity to 4 properties, citing visual impact, property devaluation, availability of nearby underground fibre, and past removal of similar poles in 2019.
Key concern: Unsightly poles unnecessary for only 4 properties when underground fibre/ducting available nearby
Representative of 80 Ballagarey Road
ObjectionWould you want to buy a house surrounded by 3 telegraph poles?; The visual impact would also be terrible; Putting up 3 poles to serve 4 properties is unsightly and unnecessary.
Representative of 80 Ballagarey Road
ObjectionNow in 2025 these 3 poles are to connect just 4 properties!; This cost is virtually nothing. I had armoured cabling and my husband buried the fibre cable in our lawn himself.
Residents at 59 Ballagarey Road
ObjectionWe object on grounds set out above and request that this planning application is declined; without these poles connecting these properties to the fibre network after the copper decommissioning in 2029 would require extensive and costly groundworks.
Resident at 4 King Orry Place
ObjectionUnderground ducting is already available and will ALWAYS be used to install fibre; How does this latest proposal help the Isle of Man achieve its net carbon zero target by 2050?; There is an alternative method and it should be used.
Stu Peters MHK for Middle
ObjectionI would like to join them in objecting to plans by Manx Telecom to erect three telegraph poles; it seems more appropriate to follow this method here.
