Residents of Tirellan are up in arms about a telecommunications mast which they say sprung up in the neighbourhood last week without notice.
An Bord Pleanála ruled late last year that Oranmore-based Emerald Towers Ltd could erect a 15m (49ft ) dual-use telecoms pole in Tirellan Heights, off the Headford Road, in Ballinfoile, for a period of five years. The pole may remain there longer, subject to licence.
Galway City Council had previously denied permission in October 2022, with planners citing the pole’s proximity to a suburban road in an “established neighbourhood” making the pole a “visually intrusive and overbearing element in the public realm”.
City centre councillor John McDonagh (Lab ) says local residents got a shock when the three-story metal tower appeared without warning last week, and are annoyed they were not informed, never mind consulted.
“My concern is once [the pole] was refused planning permission, neither councillors or residents were informed about this application, or that Emerald Tower Limited was going to appeal this decision to An Board Pleanála,” he said. “In the interest of fairness and transparency, the planning office in City Hall should have made local councillors aware of this to communicate with the residents of Tirellan Heights.”
Residents of Tirellan are understood to be particularly annoyed about the new pole, as this is the second one to be erected in the area. A larger, 110ft telecoms pole was previously erected near Ballinfoile Reservoir.
