Coun Iain Malcolm, deputy leader of South Tyneside Council, has made no secret of his alarm at the number of recent applications for masts in Horsley Hill, South Shields.

Masts already exist at Jack Clark Park, the Cleadon Club and the TA centre and there are requests for new ones to be sited in Marsden Lane and at Horsley Hill Community Centre.

However, the tide could be about to turn as planning chiefs have turned down an application by mobile giant Vodaphone to site another mast, with 3G capability, at the TA centre in Northfield Gardens.

Coun Malcolm, ward colleague Coun Arthur Meeks and residents objected to the proposal.

If the application had been given the green light, it would have been the second successful bid for a phone mast at the centre in the last eight months.

Coun Meeks said: "I am absolutely delighted with the news.

"At the end of the day, these things are forced upon people whether they like it or not too many times, but this time it has not been the case.

"There was a considerable number of residents against the siting of the mast.

"Coun Malcolm and myself spoke to quite a lot of people regarding this issue and they were all against it."

The decision to reject the 15m high mast, which would have also increased network capacity in the Horsley Hill area, was taken by planning officers under delegated powers earlier this month.

It was rejected on the grounds of its height and close proximity to homes on Highfield Road and Fountain Grove.

Officers felt it would also have an overbearing, domineering and intrusive impact upon the rooms and gardens of these residential properties.

They also stated that it would be visually intrusive and prominent within the local street scene.

By LISA NIGHTINGALE
lisa.nightingale@northeast-press.co.uk