Masked masts reduce environmental impact

Airwave has installed two communications masts that have been sensitively designed to blend in to their environments.

A road sign is in fact a 4m high mast at the summit of Snake Pass in Derbyshire. With its supporting equipment, generator and diesel tank buried in an underground chamber, the mast is sympathetic to its surroundings.

“The site is in an area of protected natural beauty, so we took great care to make the TETRA mast blend in to its surroundings as much as possible. Feedback from local groups, including the Friends of the Peak District, has been really positive. Derbyshire Constabulary has also supported the project since its inception,” explained Martin Benke, Airwave’s UK Network Services Director.

Another mast disguised as a mountain rock is located in the Snowdonia National Park on the Llyn Peninsula in Wales. Airwave worked with the Snowdonia National Park, local planning authority and the Countryside Council for Wales to come up with a suitable solution. It was agreed that the best solution was to disguise the transmission equipment inside a specially-designed ‘rock’ made out of fiberglass.

“This approach ensured that our equipment is camouflaged to match the surroundings and does not impact on the beauty of the national park. It’s been a challenging and often frustrating process, but we were determined to succeed.”