Sauce for the Goose

This is the entrance to a 1970s housing estate. It has long had two Eircom boxes under the tree. Recently it was proposed to add a third in order to bring fibre-optic connections to the residents.

This was badly needed as current connection speeds for broadband on the land lines is appalling. You might as well nearly be on the old dial-up. While the speeds are clearly way ahead of what we used to get on dial-up download file sizes and bandwith have increased exponentially and contention ratios are a state secret. But it all adds up to serious frustration for the user.

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The Planning Authority, in its wisdom, refused permission for a third box on the grounds that it was not consistent with the aesthetics of the environment. A stable in Bethlehem or a site at the top of Calvary I could understand, but unobtrusive as it is in this location? Come on.

Fortunately, they seem to have finally relented, on appeal and in the run up to the local elections, and hey presto, box no.3. I wonder how many residents, other than those who saw it being installed, will actually notice it.

So could we please have some consistency in the approach to planning decisions, at least across the Northside.