Bid to erect phone mast fails

A MOBILE phone giant has lost its bid to erect a mobile phone mast in an upmarket part of the city.

The city council initially told Vodafone it could not place the equipment – which would be disguised as a telegraph pole – near Clark Road in Trinity.

The company appealed to the Scottish Government, and was optimistic after Holyrood recently ruled in its favour on a similar application in Balerno.

However, this time planning reporter Philip Hutchinson backed the local authority and dismissed the appeal, saying there were more appropriate sites in the area.

He said: “I recognise that 3G coverage involves very small cells, a fact which constrains the area which can be usefully searched.

“Despite this, I am unconvinced that all possible alternative sites have been exhausted.”