Ballina Urban Council is objecting to permission granted by Sligo Co Council for a control building and radio communications tower in a scenic part of west Sligo.
The unit would be for the use of digital radio links, mobile telephones and two-way radio and paging services, and would have digital microwave links to other parts of Co Sligo. The permission, subject to eight conditions, had been granted to Telehouse Ltd, with an address at St Stephen's Green in Dublin.
Ballina Urban Council is now joining with local residents in their opposition to the development, at Largan, Lough Talt, beside the Windy Gap about midway between Ballina, Co Mayo, and Tubbercurry, Co Sligo.
Ballina council chairman, Mr Terry McCole, who attended a public meeting in Bonniconlon, Co Mayo, last night said he was objecting on aesthetic grounds "as it's regarded as one of the most scenic visions in the west".
The proposed tower would be 43 metres high.