ESB lodge appeal against controversial mast decision
The ESB mast on the Ninth Lock Road

ESB lodge appeal against controversial mast decision

THE ESB has lodged an appeal against South Dublin County Council’s decision to refuse retention permission for a telecommunications mast on the Ninth Lock Road in Clondalkin.

The contentious mast development, which has been described as “imposing” by a local councillor, was granted temporary planning permission for a three-year period in 2014.

The planning permission then lapsed but the mast remained in situ, prompting local Independent councillor Eoin Ó Broin to submit a planning enforcement complaint to the council last year.

Following on from this, the ESB then sought retention permission from South Dublin County Council last December, and sought permission for the replacement of a 25-metre-high lattice tower with a 20-metre-high monopole, which the local authority refused in February. In reaching its decision to refuse permission, the council cited “unacceptable visual impacts” caused by the development and its view that the continued presence of the structure would “preclude the sustainable development of a centrally-located site within a primary urban centre”.

Two objections were lodged on the application for retention permission, one from Ninth Lock Road resident Gerry O’Neill and another by Cllr Ó Broin.

Mr O’Neill voiced concerns about the mast being in close proximity to residential developments, and he stated it was “a visually intrusive operation” located in an area with “a unique archeological background”.

Cllr Ó Broin said he “strenuously objected” to the ESB’s application, and described the mast as being “very poor for the aesthetics of Clondalkin Village”.

Speaking to The Echo this week, Cllr Ó Broin said: “In general, the concerns in the area are about the visual impact of the mast being located in the centre of the village.

“It’s a big, ugly-looking thing quite close to the centre of the village, and it doesn’t fit with it.

“For the general development and improvement of the aesthetic streetscape of Clondalkin, that big, imposing mast doesn’t fit.”

In late March, the ESB lodged a detailed appeal against South Dublin County Council’s decision to refuse retention permission.

Among their numerous grounds for appeal, the ESB cited a “lack of alternative sites” for the structure, while they said a proposed 20-metre-high monopole at the site would “reduce the need for additional communication structures in Clondalkin”.

They stated that the mast is located alongside an existing ESB substation “and there are no plans for the substation to be retired in the medium-term” and as such the mast is “located on land which is and will continue to be used for utilities purposes”.

In terms of the visual impact, the ESB stated that a proposed 20-metre replacement monopole “would not be overly dominant in the receiving streetscape, and the structure “would not cause harm” to visual amenity of the surrounding area.

A decision on the appeal has yet to be made by An Bord Pleanála.

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