Mobile mast planned next to school

Published on Monday 13 October 2008 10:19

A GIANT mobile phone mast is set to go up just yards from a children's playground and across the road from a primary school.

Vodafone has applied for permission to put up the 14-metre (45 ft) mast at Preston Road, Linlithgow.

If approved, the structure would be placed on the roadside verge at the corner of the new playpark, near Linlithgow Primary School and next to the Union Canal.

Linlithgow Community Council is planning to fight the proposal and Jack Thompson, planning spokesman, said: "We are not in favour of masts that are too close to where children will be playing or going to school because of the potential hazards.

"We will be submitting a formal objection on the grounds of location and size."

Linlithgow councillor Martyn Day urged local residents to have their say.

She added: "I am not a fan of masts but the Preston Road location they have chosen does seem to be as far away from houses as it can be.

I want to find out more about the network of masts it will link to before forming an opinion."

A Vodafone spokesman said the new mast was needed for 3G coverage and the Preston Road site was the most suitable amongst 11 surveyed.

He added that all stations were built to strict guidelines with exposure levels hundreds of times below guideline levels.