SILKEBORG: The Danish Church's right to object can not only stop wind turbines and solar parks, but also projects for mobile phone masts.
This is shown by a new case from Silkeborg, where the Diocese of Aarhus and the local parish council have objected to a planned mobile phone mast close to a church, writes TV 2 Østjylland.
The objection means that Silkeborg Municipality cannot implement the project in its current form.
The antenna mast is 42 meters high, and the local parish council for Mariehøj Church, the Diocese of Aarhus and several locals believed that the mast's location was incorrect.
According to the plan, the mast was to be placed 260 meters from the church.
According to the Nature Protection Act, no building with a height of more than 8.5 meters may be built within a distance of 300 meters from a church, unless the church is surrounded by urban development in the entire protection zone.
- Our task is to look after the interests of the church, and the mast will probably appear very distinctive and dominant when you leave the church, says Ulrika Guldbæk Adams, special consultant at Aarhus Diocese, according to TV 2 Østjylland.
The case adds to the debate about the special role of churches in the planning act.
Today, the Danish Church can object to a local plan proposal through the diocesan authorities if projects are placed within specified distances to churches.
The right has previously been discussed in connection with wind turbines and solar cell plants, where the church can object if wind turbines or solar cells are to be erected within 1000 meters of a church.
In December 2024, Minister for Urban and Rural Areas and Minister for Churches Morten Dahlin (V) dropped plans to weaken the churches' right to object after a draft law had been in consultation.
- We have listened to the consultation responses and to the parties' wishes as well. Therefore, we expect to change the part of the bill that deals with the diocesan authorities' right to object to the municipalities' local plan proposals, so that the right to object is not impaired compared to today, Morten Dahlin told Kristeligt Dagblad at the time.
The Association of Municipalities (KL) has previously criticized the right to object and warned that it could delay the green transition, while the Danish People's Party and the Danish Democrats, among others, have defended the churches' ability to opt out.
According to TV 2 Østjylland, Silkeborg Municipality is now investigating an alternative location for the mobile phone mast.
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