Kilkenny village wants to stop communication mast - public meeting tonight
A rural Kilkenny community is gathering this evening to protest the erection of a communication mast in the centre of their village.
People living in Kells will meet at the Kells Creche tonight (Wednesday) at 8pm. This is the latest move by locals to prevent a mast being allowed to remain in the village. It began to be erected earlier this summer but that wasn’t the end of the matter.
Eircom initially applied to Kilkenny County Council for permission to develop a 15 metre high, free standing, communications structure with its associated antennae, communication dishes, ground equipment and all associated site development works, at Haggard Road, in June 2020. This was to replace an existing 10 metre, wooden pole.
Permission was refused in November 2020, but appealed to An Bord Pleanala by Eircom Ltd. In June 2021 An Bord Pleanala granted permission for the development with conditions, despite a planning inspector’s recommendation it be refused.
Construction on the mast began in April, however according to local residents that was halted and it was removed in October "never having functioned, on foot of community complaints/actions." Local residents now hope they can prevent the re-erection of the mast in the coming weeks.