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Planning Application Supporting Statement for
Restart Court
Isle of Man Business Park
Braddan
Isle of Man
PREPARED BY
Andrew Le Prevost, Core Network Engineer, Cable & Wireless Isle of Man
CWIOM REF
IM220 Restart
As a licensed Mobile operator on the Isle of Man, Cable and Wireless IoM Limited (C&W) are continually striving to deliver a high quality mobile experience for all our customers.
We have completed building the telecommunications sites identified in our initial build plan, and our network development is now moving into a new phase where we are looking to add additional mobile sites or improve our existing network to help fill known coverage gaps, as well as improving our transmission network throughout the island that links all the mobile sites together.
The C&W Mobile network consists of a number of sites that have panel antennas that provide the mobile coverage to users’ handsets. These sites utilise the C&W Core network to connect the sites back to our network infrastructure. This is usually via microwave dishes.
C&W will endeavour, whenever possible, to install our equipment on existing infrastructure or radio transmitters. Where this is not possible, and it is necessary to introduce additional telecommunications infrastructure onto the Island, this supporting statement will justify both why the infrastructure is required and demonstrates that the best possible available site has been identified, keeping visual amenity as a priority at all times. The aim is always to minimise the visual impact of our developing network.
It will also help to explain the decisions which led to the specific location being chosen and what alternatives were discounted.
Restart Court is a disaster recovery centre located on the Isle of Man Business Park in Braddan, but also offers data hosting services. Some of C&W’s core network equipment is located within Restart Court – it is one of several main PoP’s (point of presence) on the island where we interconnect our on-island network with off-island connections.
We already have 3 small mobile phone panels mounted to the building itself providing a small amount of 3G coverage in the area. We also have a microwave dish mounted to the building linking the site with the rest of our core network.
Following numerous complaints of poor coverage from business users throughout the Business Park, we wish to add slightly bigger panels, higher up, to increase the coverage, as well as an additional microwave link to a remote site. As such, we feel the only way we can achieve this is to install a lightweight mast at the rear of the premises.
Restart Court is located in the centre of the Isle of Man Business Park. The existing mobile panels on the building already provides coverage to the Spring Valley Industrial Estate as well as the top end of Farmhill – estimated coverage area is thought to be over 1,000 people during the working day.
Due to the mobile panels being mounted directly onto the building, they are not providing as much coverage as we would of liked. By locating slightly bigger panels, higher up on a mast to get over the neighbouring buildings, we can drastically improve the telecommunications infrastructure for the surrounding businesses and residential areas.
Map showing the location of the proposed mast.
Restart Court has always been the most suitable site due to our core infrastructure being hosted there. The mobile panels already installed on the building take a fair amount of traffic during the working day. A lot of this is 3G data traffic from users who work in buildings nearby. By moving the panels onto a mast, improved coverage would be expected, benefiting more users.
The only other existing telecommunications structure in the area is a Manx Telecom monopole mobile base site located in the car park of their Engineering Centre, next door to Restart Court, approximately 40 metres away from the location of the C&W proposed mast. A Monopole mast is designed to blend in more to the background due to being encased with cladding. One downside of a monopole is that once it is built, there is very little that can be done to add extra equipment onto the mast without almost completely replacing it. As such, it's not possible to site share on this mast.
The next closest C&W site is located at the top of Richmond Hill which can be seen from the Isle of Man Business Park, but being located nearly 2km away, the 3G signal doesn't have the penetration to get into buildings where the coverage is needed.
As a result of our planning work we believe that an installation at Restart Court is the ideal location. The building is a data hosting centre and it's located in the centre of our target area on a business/industrial estate.
This proposal has been discussed with Mr Ian Brooks at the Planning Department.
This is our first planning application for this proposed site.
There is an increasing need to improve our coverage in this area – primarily for business users, but also to help those residential areas on the fringes of the coverage site.
In addition, C&W are looking to add additional microwave links to improve the reliability, capacity and resilience of our core transmission network across the island without having to resort to other operators to provide services over fixed line equipment.
This site has been designed in accordance with the current mainland UK Cellular operator's guidance for both Occupational & Public ICNIRP compliance. Our design team are satisfied that this site design complies with the above guidelines and therefore a signed ICNIRP certificate is enclosed with this application.
Report of the Council of Ministers: A review into the health impacts of mobile phone masts in the Isle of Man – June 2009
"Emergency Situations - The introduction of mobile technology has brought many benefits in the ability to contact the Emergency Services in emergency situations such as road traffic accidents and the reporting of crime. This is particularly relevant in rural areas where there may be no access to fixed-line telephone services.
Health Benefits - With widespread use of mobile phones, we are no longer dependent on landlines and help can be secured via mobile phones.
Economic Benefits - Mobile phone technology has facilitated communication; it is no longer necessary to wait for a worker to return to their office to contact that person. This shortens time delays and decision making. It would be difficult to quantify the indirect economic benefits but the fact that modern day business is highly reliant on mobile phone technology provides ample testimony to the economic benefits.
Convenience and Reassurance - An issue which is self-evident is that mobile phones have improved the quality of life, removing barriers to communication. Mobile phone calls and 'texts' (SMS messages) are extensively used in social situations and many teenagers of today cannot imagine a life without mobile phones. Mobile phones also provide reassurance for parents and carers by helping them to maintain contact as required with their children. Again, it is difficult to quantify the benefits of this but it is likely to enhance the quality of life of all those involved."
http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/cso/mobilephonemastscominreport.pdf
"Telecommunications infrastructure and services are key facilities in an Island that prides itself on, amongst other things, its prowess in e-commerce. They are essential to support our finance industry and to connect all members of our population with each other and to the wider world."
Communications Commission Aim – Telecommunications
"To support the development of high quality telecommunications and digital communications technology for the use of Island businesses and residents.
Encourage continued telecommunications infrastructure upgrade."
http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/cso/plan/2011/cc_sdp2011.pdf
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." http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/government/plan2005/communicationscommissionbucineccp.pdf
"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."
http://www.gov.im/lib/docs/transport/planning/plan/strategicplanfinalversiontoy.pdf
Cable and Wireless believe this installation complies with the Islands Policies above.
We consider this installation an ideal solution to provide improved telecommunications infrastructure for the local business and residential community – both through increased mobile phone coverage, and a better core transmission network across the island.
A lightweight mast has been chosen based on the small amount of equipment needing to be located on the mast in order to reduce the visual impact.
The site chosen is in a business/industrial area – and is only 40 metres from an existing mobile phone mast (that is unsuitable for site sharing).
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