Council planners approve Abbeyshrule communications tower

An application to Longford County Council by Vantage Towers Ltd to erect a 30m high lattice telecommunication structure has been approved subject to nine conditions.

The planning application relates to a development at Castlewilder, Abbeyshrule. It covers the construction of the tower along with antennas, dishes and associated telecommunications equipment, enclosed by security fencing and extend existing access track.

The applicant points out that the development is within the curtilage of a protected structure. Castlewilder itself is a detached five-bay three-storey country house, built around 1715.

The building forms the centrepiece in a group of related structures along with the complex of outbuildings and is considered an integral element of the built heritage of County Longford.

This house was originally built by the Wilder family during the first decades of the eighteenth century, and possibly slightly earlier.

There were three submissions on the plans. Objectors William Glennon and Julie Shanley referenced the size of the development, its impact on their property value, potential health hazards and the visual impact of the mast.

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) suggested that the development caused a penetration of the “Obstacle Limitation Surface” of the Abbeyshrule aerodrome.

Longford County Council planners approved the development subject to nine conditions. The conditions include adherence to the submitted plans, consideration of IAA requirements, road and waste water considerations, and adherence to international standards regarding Electro Magnetic Fields (EMFs).