ESAT Digifone has strongly disagreed with an assertion by the Department of the Environment that its "temporary" mobile phone masts should be cleared by local authorities.
Mr Declan Drummond, the company's network quality manager, said he thought "planning officers would be very unhappy to hear that they had to check every structure that is exempt from the planning regulations". He said movable mobile phone masts are exempt from the need for planning permission, as set out in the Local Government (Planning and Development) Regulations, 1994.
A spokeswoman for the Department confirmed this exemption but said such structures should be cleared by local authorities. Mr Drummond's statement follows objections by residents of Harold's Cross in Dublin to a mast on wheels which was installed just over two weeks ago.
It also comes in reponse to objections from residents in Ashtown, north Dublin, to a mobile mast installed last August, and from residents in Stillorgan, south Dublin, to a mast installed there last November, both by Esat Digifone.
The Ashtown mast was installed last August. An application to install a permanent mast at the site, by An Bord Telecom, had been turned down on appeal by An Bord Pleanala in February 1998.
The Stillorgan mast was installed at the side of a furniture store on Deerpark Road in April 1998. Following objections, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council ruled that planning permission was needed. Esat Digifone has appealed the case to An Bord Pleanala and a decision is due on Wednesday.
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