MONAGHAN COUNCILLORS CALL FOR PHONE MAST LAW CHANGE

A change in planning legislation to control technology additions being made to telecommunications masts once they have acquired initial planning approval has been called for at a meeting of the Monaghan Municipal District. Concerns among the communities of Glaslough, where a campaign is being waged to prevent the erection of a mobile phone mast in the centre of the village after An Bord Pleanála overturned a decision by Monaghan Co Council to refuse permission, and Killygoan in Monaghan Town, where health fears about a mast adjacent the estate have persisted for many years, were referred to during the MD discussion.

The No Mast Campaign Glaslough is currently conducting a fund-raising drive towards the cost of a judicial review application to prevent the development in the village and hope to raise €20,000 by May 20 next. The topic was raised at last Thursday’s Municipal District meeting by Sinn Féin councillor Seán Conlon, who referred to the issue of the Killygoan mast being advanced in recent times by his party colleague Councillor Brian McKenna. Councillor Conlon said that in recent weeks another crew of technicians had been at work on the Killygoan structure.

“These people seem to come and go with no by or leave and local people are asking whether there are capacity issues at the mast which need to be looked at,” Councillor Conlon stated. He said he had contacted the Monaghan Co Council Planning Section and the Enforcement Officer there told him that work at the mast in Killygoan was at all times monitored and what was happening there was within the law. Councillor Conlon welcomed the fact that, through the prompt of the elected members of the local authority, the…