21m Quigley’s Point mast approved despite Local Authority and Inspector Refusals

A planning refusal for a 21-metre mast to provide high-speed broadband and mobile phone coverage in Quigley’s Point has been overturned by An Coimisiún Pleanála despite both Donegal County Council and the appeals board’s own inspector recommending refusal on visual-impact grounds.

In their appeal, Towercom disputed Donegal County Council's refusal of the development due to it being “overbearing and incongruous,”  leading to a visual disturbance for some people. The existing structure currently carries equipment for Vodafone and Eir telecommunication operators.

The company constructed an 18m telecommunications support structure at the Eir Exchange adjacent to Millbrae Park in Quigley’s Point in May 2023 and had sought permission earlier this year to increase the height of its existing structure by three meters, bringing the mast height to 21 metres to incorporate additional antennas and a dish. 

Four years ago, plans to remove a 13-metre structure and replace it with a 22.5-metre tower were rejected by Donegal County Council for being “overbearing and incongruous” in a residential area. Towercom successfully appealed that decision, with An Coimisiún Pleanála granting permission subject to seven conditions, including a maximum height limit of 19.5 metres.

Towercom subsequently installed an 18-metre monopole but returned in 2024 seeking an additional 3-metre extension.

Donegal County Council again refused permission, stating the extended mast would “seriously injure the amenities of property in the vicinity” due to its increased height and the predominantly residential character of the surrounding area.

In its appeal to An Coimisiún Pleanála, Towercom disputed claims of adverse visual impact and submitted photomontages to demonstrate that the 3-metre increase would not be overbearing for residents of Millbrae Park.

“It is submitted that the proposed extension would not be an overbearing or incongruous structure within the established pattern of development.” 

Towercom added that the new section would be a prefabricated steel collar fitted onto the existing mast without requiring dismantling.

Planning inspector for An Coimisiún Pleanála Jim Egan recommended that the appeal be refused. His report concluded that the additional height would have a “significant and negative visual impact on the streetscape” and would “seriously injure the residential amenities of Millbrae Park,” citing conflicts with several policies in the Donegal County Development Plan 2024–2030.

He also noted that the area is designated an “Area of High Scenic Amenity” and is close to an “Area of Especially High Scenic Amenity,” stating that the increased visibility of the structure would adversely affect both the village and nearby coastal landscape.

Despite these findings, An Coimisiún Pleanála overturned the refusal and granted permission for the mast extension subject to eight conditions.

The planning board said it was satisfied that the development complied with local and national policy objectives supporting improved rural telecommunications infrastructure, including the Donegal County Development Plan 2024–2030 and the national guidelines on antennae and support structures.

The Commission noted that while concerns had been raised about visual impact, the photomontages submitted at appeal demonstrated that the additional height “would not result in a significant overbearing impact” on Millbrae Park homes or on the wider landscape. 

It also accepted Towercom’s justification that the increase was required to facilitate the co-location of a third mobile operator, helping avoid the proliferation of separate masts in the area.

As part of the conditions laid down by the board, no advertisement or advertisement structure is to be erected, displayed on the mast or within the grounds of the site without a prior grant of planning permission.

An Coimisiún Pleanála also stated that to avoid the proliferation of telecommunications structures in the interest of visual amenity. The developer is to allow, subject to reasonable terms, other licensed mobile telecommunications operators to co-locate their antennae onto the proposed mast.

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Another condition is that the telecommunications equipment associated with the structure should be decommissioned and removed from the site, when no longer in use, at the expense of the developer.