Slieve Gullion Councilor Declan Murphy believes a delay in the council processing planning applications could compromise investment in the South Armagh area.
Speaking in relation to a project to develop a mobile phone mast in the Camlough and Bessbrook area, Cllr Murphy said the delay facing planning applications such as these, is proving to be problematic.
“The application to build a mast to cover the Camlough and Bessbrook area has been in for almost 12 months and despite the project being time bound because of investment, there has been slow progress thus far.
“Even with planning permission, there still needs to be commercial agreements and other arrangements such as power supply to the site agreed, all within a very tight time limit.
“Developments such as this, which would be part of the shared rural network, have an obligation to be delivered by July 2024.
“The proposed mast will not only cover the Camlough area but also cover Derramor and Bessbrook.
“It is vital for everyone in the community; from emergency services to families and local businesses to have access to a fit for purpose phone network.”
The Councilor says that Sinn Féin will continue to press for these applications to be processed as soon as possible.