Tenby residents will be able to pick up Pembrokeshire FM when it starts broadcasting next month, after National Park planners gave the go-ahead for two booster aerials for the service, to be sited on top of the town's Park Hotel this week.
Before members of the Park's development committee on Wednesday was an application by Crown Castle UK Ltd., to place two yagi antenna on the North Cliff hotel to provide an improved communication system for the local radio station.
Development control officer, Mrs. Cathy Milner, told the committee that the intention was to 'bounce' transmissions of the radio station from the main mast at Woodstock, and the hotel site had been chosen as it would cover the whole town.
She reminded members of the 'saga' of an application for Orange telecommunications masts on the hotel last year, which had eventually been approved by committee despite strong objections from residents of North Cliff.
The North Cliff residents had subsequently complained to the ombudsman about the authority's handling of the application.
"However, this application is not about telephone masts and the potential health risks," she stressed.
"This is about radio masts and would see two 'overlarge' television type aerials located on the hotel," she continued.
Mrs. Milner pointed out that there were a number of masts on the hotel already, and did not feel that an additional two would "make any difference."
However, she noted that Tenby Town Council had objected to the application due to the number of masts already on the hotel, and Tenby Civic Society were also concerned about the proliferation of masts on "one of the tallest buildings on the North Cliff skyline."
North Cliff residents had also objected to the application, feeling it should not be determined until the results of the ombudsman's inquiry into the Orange application were know.
Mrs. Milner told the committee that she had consulted with the Ombudsman who had agreed with her that there was no reason why the Crown Castle application should not be dealt with.
"This applicant deserves to have the application heard," she commented.
"I think the North Cliff residents are hoping that the Ombudsman will say that all the aerials have to be swept off the top of the hotel, but I don't think he would have the power to do this, even if he does find against us," Mrs. Milner continued.
"If these yagi antenna do not go here, they will have to go somewhere else in Tenby.
"However, we have been approached by other bodies, including the police, who are interested in placing aerials on this hotel, and we feel that before any future permanent approvals are granted, a co-ordinated scheme should be submitted, rather than a piecemeal one.
"We need to see if there is a limit to the number of aerials; if the hotel can take them all," she continued.
"As a result, we suggest that a one year temporary consent be granted to Crown Castle to allow the provision of the radio service whilst other matters on site are resolved," she proposed, to the agreement of the committee.