Fight to stop mobile mast

Worried parents are fighting plans for a 50ft mobile phone mast near a Stafford school amid fears it will put children's health at risk and be an unsightly blot on the landscape.

Residents in the Rising Brook and Burton Manor areas have flagged up concerns over the planning application by mobile phone giant O2.

Fears have also been voiced that the mast might interfere with signals from the new Rising Brook fire station, which is due to be built next to Stafford Sports College and open in 2010 -Êbut fire chiefs say the concerns are unfounded.

O2 wants to install the phone mast and associated ground equipment cabinet on a grass verge opposite The Royal Oak pub in Rising Brook.

But following concerns from residents, two local councillors have called in the application for further discussion before a decision is made.

Councillor Angela Loughran said there were worries over the visual and health implications because of the proposed mast's closeness to Stafford Sports College, the school's day nursery and a playgroup which meets at Rising Brook Baptist Church.

She said Burton Manor and Flash Ley primary schools were also nearby.

"There are concerns from neighbouring residents about the health implications and also that the mast would be unsightly," said Councillor Loughran.

"It is proposed to put it on the green area opposite the shops in Burton Square, which is a shopping precinct used by a lot of people, including families and senior citizens.

"They feel the area is a pleasant spot and would be spoiled. Quite a few people have approached me about this proposal.

"We don't need it and we don't want it."

Fellow ward councillor Geoff Rowlands has also called for further discussion of the plans, saying the siting and size of the mast would make it a "discordant feature" in the surrounding street scene.

Stafford Sports College headteacher Dr Rowena Blencowe said she did not know enough about possible health risks from phone masts to raise it as an issue.

But she said: "One of my main concerns, in terms of the effect on the community, is that it might interfere with signals from the proposed new fire station."

But Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman Heather Garner said the mast would not interfere with its communication systems.