Community rallies to halt controversial mast near school in north Leitrim

A large crowd of residents, along with a few councillors gathered in Kinlough Community Centre on Thursday, March 6, to discuss the next steps in preventing the installation of a second telecommunications mast near the local primary school.

Kinlough, a small but tight-knit community, made its stance clear at the meeting - they are determined to stop the mast from being erected.

Vantage Towers applied for planning permission in September 2023 to install a 24 metre mast just 170 metres from Four Masters National School.

As the school is expected to expand over the next five to ten years, this development would bring it even closer to the proposed mast site.

Opposition to the project was strong, with 130 submissions lodged against the 5G mast. Leitrim County Council ultimately refused planning permission. 

However, Vantage Towers appealed the decision to An Bord Pleanála, which later granted approval.

Spokesperson for the group and well known businessman Noel McGowan, alongside Karol Warnock pursued a judicial review in the High Court. In May 2024, the court ruled in their favour after An Bord Pleanála conceded that it had failed to consider Leitrim County Council’s submission.

As a result, the court quashed the planning approval.

Following this, an inspector from An Bord Pleanála assessed the site and recommended refusing permission, mainly due to the mast’s visual impact. This recommendation was overturned, and planning permission was ultimately granted.

“This mast is going to be a sore thumb in the area for the rest of our days,” Mr McGowan told the meeting.

“We live in an area of outstanding natural beauty. It’s a fantastic area to live in and this mast is going to be a blight on our whole area.”

Beyond concerns over the visual impact, many residents fear potential environmental and health risks, particularly for children.

“There’s reports all over the world that proves these masts are a serious health risk especially to children, there’s no doubt about that,” Mr McGowan said.

However, health concerns alone are not sufficient grounds to block the mast. In Ireland, An Bord Pleanála, local councils and Government agencies do not take potential health risks from mobile phone mast radiation into account when making planning decisions.

The community now has two possible courses of action: persuading the landowner to withdraw from the project, or pursuing another judicial review.

While the group is considering another legal challenge, the costs could range between €20,000 to €30,000. That said, Mr McGowan emphasised that convincing the landowner to stand down remains an option.

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The landowner has been approached previously and allegedly does not wish to withdraw.

“All across the world they reckon masts should not be within 500 metres of any school,” Cllr Justin Warnock commented.

“We have to stand together and go this extra mile.”

With approximately five weeks to decide on their next steps, the community are considering forming a delegation of parents to appeal to the landowner once more. Additionally, an online fundraising page will be launched to support another judicial review, and a petition is available to sign at McGowan’s Spar.

Vantage Towers did not respond to a request for a comment by the time of publication.

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