A MOBILE phone giant wants to build a massive mobile phone mast in front of a busy York swimming pool - a short distance from another mobile mast.

Hutchinson 3G has applied to build a 41ft (12.5 metre) mast on a grass verge outside Edmund Wilson Pool, in Thanet Road, Acomb, which is owned by City of York Council.

The company does not need planning permission, as the mast is below 15m high.

The council can still object to it, but only on grounds of visual impact on the surrounding area - and Thanet Road is not in a conservation area.

Local residents have three weeks to object from the date the application was made.

The council must respond within 56 days, otherwise Hutchinson can build the mast anyway.

Residents of Rawcliffe reacted with fury late last year after a mast was built opposite their homes in Shipton Road.

They had protested strongly against it and it was recommended for refusal, but a council blunder meant it did not respond within 56 days, so the company was able to build the mast.

The Thanet Road application is to be considered by a planning committee after a request from Acomb councillors Steve Galloway and Andrew Waller.

Coun Galloway said the right of phone companies to provide their customers with a service was protected by law, and councils could not simply say "no" to applications.

"There must be a reason for saying no. We asked for this application to go to committee on the grounds of mast proliferation," he said.

Development control officer Roger Armistead said in a report to councillors that the mast would be a single pole, in an area with a number of tall poles at the nearby Acorn rugby ground.

Mr Armistead said: "The ground-based equipment is similar to existing ground based BT or cable boxes and is about 1.3m high. It is within the grass verge and does not conflict with the footpath. The pole is next to the bulk of Edmund Wilson baths and is over 100m from the nearest housing."

Mr Armistead said Hutchinson had looked at other options for siting the mast, but none were available.

The report said these included putting the proposed mast on the existing mast, rejected on the advice of city council planning officers.

The company's application to put the mast on Acorn rugby club's playing fields was refused by the club. Mr Armistead said the possibility of putting the mast on the baths had not been considered.

The application will be discussed on Thursday.

Updated: 08:36 Monday, March 10, 2003