Telecommunications poles 'popped up' on Achill commonage

Two poles erected by a broadband service provider along the Sandybanks commonage in Keel on Achill Island must be removed, according to a local councillor. 

Cllr Paul McNamara told the recent meeting of Westport-Belmullet Municipal District that the poles "suddenly popped up along the Keel Sandybanks".

"They are totally unsightly. I have made numerous requests to the provider to have them removed. They could have put the cable underground but instead these are right on the side of the road where there are no poles at all as you go into the village. 

"The land is not public, it is private, it is commonage but privately owned. I have got nowhere with the provider on this and they tell me now the poles have permission to be there, so I want the council to write to ask them who gave permission, because they say it was both Mayo County Council and National Broadband Ireland. 

"There was no consultation whatsoever and this shows a total disregard for the community.”

Cllr McNamara suggested that the reason overground poles were erected was “simply to save costs”, and that it was “absolutely ridiculous what has happened here”. He also noted that were a private citizen to behave in a similar manner, "they would have An Taisce, National Parks and Wildlife and everything to do with a Special Area of Conservation down a day after".

Cllr McNamara requested that a letter go out from the municipal district asking the provider to remove the poles and to put the cables underground, which was supported by Cllr Gerry Coyle, who said the very same thing happened in a part of Belmullet where an entire line of poles was installed.

Head of the district, Seamus Ó Mongáin, said he would get the matter looked in to, and this was supported by Mayo Broadband Officer Danny O’Toole who was in attendance at the meeting.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.