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| Received | 25 Oct 2012 | DEPARTMENT OF INFRASTRUCTURE | PLANNING AND CONTROL |
| Town | 1201458 | ||
| Location | 1999 | ||
| Appeal | Chaser initials |
AT Vagabonds Rugby Braddan Isle of Man
Planning Application Supporting Statement
DATE: 22 October 2012
PREPARED BY: Steven Allan Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless IOM REF: Site 411
1
Cable and Wireless Isle of Man Limited (C&W) has been awarded an Isle of Man (IOM) Mobile Operators License, 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 the consumers.
A mobile phone network consists of a number of sites that have a combination of equipment, such as panel antenna, that provide coverage in the vicinity and also transmission dishes that link sites together. Combined with other sites they are designed to provide a wider continuous network: this, in turn, provides coverage throughout the Island.
C&W endeavour, whenever possible, to install our equipment on existing infrastructure. The aim is always to minimise the visual impact of providing a mobile phone network.
Where this is not possible and it is necessary to introduce additional telecommunications structures onto the Island, it is necessary to justify why the infrastructure is required and demonstrate that the best possible site has been identified, keeping visual amenity as a priority at all times.
It will also help to explain the decisions which led to the specific location being chosen and what alternatives were discounted.
A variety of supporting information may be included with each application but ultimately the C&W aim is to minimise the number of new structures and reduce the visual impact of the network; whilst providing sufficient signal strength to provide coverage for customers to take advantage of the C&W services that are available.
The proposed development will consist of 2 x 1.4 meter Combined GSM/3G antenna and a 30 cm LOS dish mounded at 11.5 m on the existing 12 meter Flood light towers at Vagabonds Rugby Club, Bradden. The equipment cabinets approximately 2 m width 0.8 m depth and 1.0 m high would be dug in to the bank, between tower 1 and 2, in the side of the bank, surrounded by a stone wall to the side and rear with a wooden fence to the front.
The proposed site is located on the north eastern side of the Vagabonds Rugby Club playing fields near the New Nobles Hospital utilising the existing 3 x 12 m flood light towers.
| New Nobles Hospital | DHSS have not responded to repeated request for discussions over a 3 year period. |
| Manx Telecom Nobles Hospital | The current Manx Telecom site at the Hospital is not currently suitable for sharing with a second operator. Significant redevelopment of the site including a substantially taller mast would be required, to accommodate a second operator. This having a significantly increased visual impact on the area as the existing mast is already visible over a large area. |
| Mt Rule farm | Planning application rejected |
| Creg ny baa | Would not improve coverage in the target areas. |
| Manx Telecom Earth station | A site share with MT has been rejected as this location clearly will not provide coverage in the area required. This is evidenced by MT’s need for 4 more masts in the area. In addition as this site is next to a school, C&W internal rules would not permit development on Health and Safety grounds. |
The principle aim of this proposed development is to provide coverage in to New Nobles hospital, Tromode Rd, Johnny Watterson’s road, Tromode Rd, Cronkbourn Village and Williston. This site has been selected as it utilises the existing flood light towers for the mounting of Mobile phone antenna equipment. The visual impact of adding the antenna to these structures will be insignificant, whilst providing a good level of coverage to the target area.
As a result we feel that our proposal represents the most effective site location.
We have met with Mr Ian Brooks to discuss this proposal and supplied details of our intentions. His recommendations have been incorporated in to this proposal.
Resent planning application by Vagabonds Rugby Club to have Flood Light towers erected.
This application forms the second part of the application for Joint Flood light towers and Mobile Masts as recommended by the IOM planning department.
A planning application No: 09/00335/B by Cable & Wireless in 2009 for Mt Rule was rejected at appeal.
Nobles Hospital, Johnny Watterson’s lane, Ballafletcher Rd, Tromode Rd, Cronkbourne Village and Williston are known to have very poor mobile phone coverage, with the majority of this area having no indoor signal at all. The Green on figure 1 shows where we would expect to proved good quality indoor coverage from the proposed site with the yellow as outdoor coverage. The improvement in indoor and outdoor coverage will also have a significant, wider, impact, as this will reduce the load on neighbouring cells. Improving the user experience over a significant area of Douglas and Onchan. This site then forms a major part of our wider network plan for capacity as well as providing much needed additional coverage.
The accompanying coverage prediction provide good evidence of the coverage this site would provide and how it fits in the other sites in the wider network. (Please see Figure 1 below)
Fig 1
If this location is not supported there will still be a need for a site in this area and we feel the very best location has already been identified by way of this application. Without approval for this site we would have to look for an up to 4 additional sites in this area.
Finally Manx telecom currently has 5 sites providing coverage in this area Nobles Hospital, Satellite Earth station, Tromode Rd, Tromode Industrial Estate and Creg ny Baa Mast. This demonstrates the benefit of this, a single site, providing a similar level of Mobile Phone coverage to the existing 5 Manx Telecom sites.
In selecting this site the upmost care has been taken to reduce its visual impact. As Vagabonds Rugby Club currently have 3 x 12 meter flood light towers. Adding small Combined GSM/3G antenna to these will have very little visual impact. As a result, we feel that this is the ideal choice of location for a site in this area. (Please see figure 2 below)
Existing Flood light towers at Vagabonds Rugby Club Fig 2
The proposed site does not have a specific or restrictive designation under the 1982 Development Plan, nor does it fall within an area of restricted building height due to Air Safety.
This site has been designed in accordance with the current mainland UK Cellular operator’s guidance for both Occupational & Public ICNIRP compliance. Our design Engineers are satisfied that this site design complies with the above guidelines and therefore a signed ICNIRP certificate is enclosed with this application.
1) Isle of Man Government Statutory Boards, Offices & Agencies Plans 2006-2009. Volume 3.
Page 25 under Communications Commission Aims & Objectives Section: Objective: Social inclusion – to enhance access to services for the whole population:
“We will enforce universal service obligations by telecoms operators with significant market power. They must provide telephone services throughout the Island,”
2) Isle of Man Government Statutory Boards < Offices & Agencies Plans 2005-2008. Volume 3 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.
“We will encourage increased mast sharing by broadcasters, under the Radio Masts Regulation Act Limitations”.
3) The Town and Country Planning Act 1999.
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.”
Cable and Wireless believe the installation complies with the Islands Policies above.
To summarise, we consider that this proposal is the best location, taking prior planning decisions in to account, and design for a site to meet the public requirements in this area.
The coverage plots help to demonstrate that there is a definite benefit and a much needed improvement to the network coverage in the specified locations.
The siteing and appearance has been carefully considered to best utilise the existing structures. All other options that we have considered would be considerably less effective and/or more visually intrusive in to the landscape.
Therefore the design proposed represents both the optimum planning/environmental and technical solution in this instance. We believe the development as proposed is in accordance with planning guidance as defined above, as building this single site will provide coverage in to 4 separate areas that will other wise require 4 separate Masts, to be built, to achieve a similar level of service to the public.
Cable & Wireless Isle of Man Ltd declares that the proposed equipment and installation as detailed in the attached planning at:
Vagabonds Rugby Club Ballafletcher rd Braddan Isle of Man
OS Grid SC 366 779
Is designed to be in full compliance with the requirements of the radio frequency (RF) public exposure guidelines of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation (ICNIRP), as expressed in EU Council recommendation of 12 July 1999* "on the limitation of exposure of the general public to electromagnetic fields (0Hz to 300GHz)".
*Reference: 1999/519/EC
Date: 02/12/2011
Signed:
Name & Position: Steven Allan/ Mobile Engineer
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