Developers back for second bid after Clare village mast rejected

FRESH efforts are being made to have a large telecommunications tower erected in the village of Quin, after a bid to erect one in an archaeologically sensitive part of the village was turned down earlier this year.

Vantage Towers has just lodged a new application for a site in the townland of Quingardens. Permission is currently being sought for a 30m structure; one that would be considerably higher than the original lattice tower the company had attempted to erect at Quinville South.

Original plans for a 24m lattice were submitted in September 2021, but refused by both the Council and An Bord Pleanála, after a campaign of opposition from local residents and community groups.

Both the local authority and the appeals board found that the structure would have an adverse effect on the character of the Quin Architectural Conservation Area (ACA), and would detract from and injure the visual amenities of the area.

An Bord Pleanála also ruled that the proposed tower did not comply with either the guidelines on telecommunications structures or those on the protection of architectural heritage. It concluded that the proposed structure “would have a significantly negative visual impact on the area and would have an adverse effect on the character of the ACA”. 

In its new application, Vantage Towers describes itself as “one of Europe’s leading tower companies, created from the Vodafone Group in 2020”.

Noting the refusal of its previous application for Quin, the company states that, “This application is a further attempt to secure coverage for the high demand for services being experienced in Quin and the surrounding areas”.

The company contends that existing infrastructure is inadequate to meet “current and forecast demand”. Planning documents warn that, “A failure to grant permission would have an enduring negative effect on local mobile phone and broadband service provision as expressed by the local community’s inability to connect wirelessly or to participate in high speed, high-capacity data availability”. 

In relation to the current site at Quingardens, Vantage Towers say that it is “as far from Quin as technically possible to ensure high quality 4G services”. The application asserts that the fresh application is in line with government guidelines and the County Development Plan. It acknowledges “some visual impact”, but argues that the site is “not unduly obtrusive and is not within a protected area”. 

The application contents that the mast project is in line with regional and national development plans, including Project 2040, the National Broadband Plan, the National Planning Framework, Our Rural Future, and the National Development Plan 2018-2027.

The planning documents outline that securing permission for the mast would “help eliminate coverage blackspots and shall make a significant positive contribution to the benefit of residents, businesses and social enterprises in the surrounding area as well as to the local road network including the regional roads nearby”. 

In respect of the the consequences of not securing permission, the application states that, “Failure to provide these services will have an adverse impact on the local area and its economy for both Vodafone and other operators wishing to take occupation in the future”. 

A letter of support from Vodafone has been submitted with the application. Permanent permission has been sought for the structure. 

The Quinville South mast plan generated significant local opposition. A total of ten submissions were made by individuals, residents’ associations and community and voluntary bodies. Quin Tidy Towns Committee and the Quin Heritage group expressed their opposition.

Submissions opposing the original plan were also made by a number of residents in nearby estates including Dún na Mánach, Manor View, Arbutus Grove and Quin Gardens. In addition, a report from the government’s Department’s Development Applications Unit (DAU) highlighted a number of archaeological concerns about the previous site.

Clare County Council has given November 21 as an indicative decision date on the new application.