Kärkkäisen's 40-meter sign tower requires flight permit

Kärkkäisen's planned 40-meter sign tower in Linnakallio, Pirkkala, will require a flight obstacle permit from Traficom next year, YLE reports.

The 40-meter structure would be tall, with Tampere railway station's clock tower standing at 47 meters for comparison. Pirkkala sold the Linnakallio plot to the Kärkkäisen chain last year, and an exception from the zoning plan has been approved by the municipal planning director. The Linnakallio zoning plan had originally banned standalone advertisements and towers over traffic-safety concerns, but the current Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment says there is no obstacle to tall ads if they do not threaten traffic safety, do not hinder road maintenance, and fit well into the surrounding area. An obstacle to flight is any ground-based object that could interfere with aviation or its equipment, and aviation law governs when a permit is required. In this case the pole would rise above 30 meters and lie within 45 kilometers of Tampere–Pirkkala Airport.

The topic has been discussed before; in Lahti the city amended zoning in 2023 to allow a tall advertising pole, with the Sunny Car Center pole there reaching 28 meters as a notable example. Linnakorpi Real Estate Oy has sought several variances for the shopping centre project. In addition to the sign pole, the plan would allow two extra very tall floors instead of four, and the site could host a fuel-distribution station. Pirkkalainen was the first to report on the sign pole.