Assessing the level of compliance of telecommunication masts to locational planning standards towards harmonious and orderly city growth

Abstract

ABSTRACT The increasing demand for telecommunication services in Ghanaian cities has contributed to the expansion of the telecommunication with its associated health and safety concerns. To regulate the siting of masts towards orderliness, there exists several locational planning standards. There is however dearth of research on the extent of compliance by operators to the regulations with regards to the siting of telecommunication masts. Using Kumasi as a case study, data was gathered through observations and interviews with relevant institutions and households living within a 50 m radius of installed masts in three suburbs – low, middle and high-income neighborhoods. Findings of the research showed that there was a general non-compliance by telecommunication providers with the locational planning standards. For example, 90 percent of masts installed in the study communities do not comply with the minimum setback to the nearest building. The research further indicated that only 11 percent of residents interviewed from the three communities were consulted before the masts in their neighborhood were installed. There is the urgent need for city authorities to integrate telecommunication infrastructure into future land use plans. The study therefore calls for well-planned land use planning regime where the siting of telecommunication mast is done before physical development catches up with peri-urban neighborhoods.