The Town and Country Planning Authority (TCPA) through the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) is taking a tough stance against Mobile Phone Service Providers over the unapproved erection of cell towers across the island and their failure to comply with planning and environmental standards. NEPA has noted the growing frequency with which these Providers have recently been erecting cell towers without the requisite approvals and the increasing public concerns.  

The new guidelines were outlined to representatives of Digicel, Lime and Claro at a meeting hosted by NEPA’s Chief Executive Officer on Monday, March 29, 2010. The providers were told that effective immediately, no cell tower can be erected unless approval has first been granted by the TCPA and/or the Parish Councils.  In addition, all approved cell towers must  include signs bearing the name of the service provider and the relevant emergency contact numbers. The authority will cite those service providers who destroy hillsides and despoil the environment during the erection of cell towers. Service Providers were reminded to abide by the Telecommunications Guidelines (2001). 

Providers have also been advised to explore several options to make cell towers more visually and aesthetically suitable to the surrounding environment and landscape. To this end, it is recommended that more innovative designs such as flagpoles, palm trees and pine trees be used.  The Authority is also recommending that service providers explore more environmentally friendly ideas such as mast sharing to avoid the need for each to erect individual towers in the same geographic area.  Mast sharing allows two or more providers to locate their cell towers on the same ground-based mast or locate individual masts on the same compound. Approximately two thirds of all mobile phone network base stations in the United Kingdom are located on shared masts. 

The Authority is also advising service providers to strictly adhere to the guidelines when applying for approval to erect cell towers. Too many applications fail to show where service providers have facilitated consultation meetings with residents in and around cell tower sites. Other applications have also failed to show where the provider consulted with the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority.

There Authority is also concerned by the many instances where the site location plans have been inadequate and attendant details such as adequate drainage have not been represented on the diagrams submitted.
NEPA will next discuss the outcome of the meeting with the Local Government Department and the Parish Councils to ensure uniformity in the processing of cell tower applications.  TCPA grants planning approval for those cellular towers to be sited in Development Order Areas. The Government Town Planner makes recommendations for approval or refusal for those to be sited outside of Development Order Areas. Building permission for all cell towers is granted by the Parish Council.