While officials acknowledge the importance of a radar of this kind, they have suggested relocating it slightly outside the village of Varkja, in the west of Saaremaa, where it was originally planned for, even if doing so raises the costs of the project.

Saaremaa district elder Mikk Tuisk said: "A provisional decision as such was made today to deny this construction permit."

"Community opposition to placing a structure of that kind in the middle of the village proved too strong. Yes, weather radar is very important; we do not dispute that at all, but our argument is that this particular weather radar could also be sited a bit further away," he went on.

"It's not a question of dozens of kilometers. If it were moved a bit further from the location, the village would actually go along with it, though we acknowledge that this would cost somewhat more than the current solution," Tuisk added.

Environmental Agency (Keskkonnaagentuur) director Taimar Ala told "Aktuaalne kaamera" the radar would form part of a broader renewal of the network, with a greater priority placed on western Estonia and Saaremaa, hinting that the small shift in location could work.

He said: "We simply consider western Estonia and Saaremaa to be a priority. There are various options on the table, all of which are certainly practically possible, in one way or another, as of today. It is completely clear that none of us wants a dispute and yet another delay-"

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