PARENTS and staff from a Kent primary school are protesting at plans to put a phone mast within 110ft of its grounds.

It is proposed to place the mast in Railway Street in Gillingham, close to St Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School in nearby Greenfield Road.

Head teacher Bernadette Long said: “There is so much concern about children using mobile phones, I just can’t believe they would consider putting a mast so close to a primary school with 400 pupils. Because of where the parents park to pick up and drop off the children, they will be walking directly under it.”

The campaign is backed by Liberal Democrat councillors Tony Luckhurst and Geoffrey Juby. Cllr Luckhurst said: “I’ve been involved with the school for more than 40 years.

“My children went there and I have a grandchild still there. Nothing has been proved about the safety of phone masts and until they are proved safe, I don’t think they should be putting children’s health at risk by putting them so close to schools.”

More than 40 letters of objection have been sent to Medway council, including one from the pupils themselves.

As well as raising health concerns, they argue a mast is unnecessary as there is adequate Vodafone signal in the area and even if one were required, there are alternative sites.

MP for Gillingham Paul Clark is also supporting the school. He said: “I’m concerned about the proposed siting of the mast. Although it may seem a fairly innocuous area, there is a thriving school on the doorstep. I’m sure there is somewhere else in the vicinity that would be more suitable.”

Council officers have approved the proposal but due to the high number of objections they have reported the issue to the development control committee, which meets on Wednesday, for the final decision.

In the report, council officers said the proposal meets Government guidelines concerning the installation of phone masts near school sites and that the council is not in a position to challenge the proposal on health grounds.

Mrs Long said: “We’re worried that the meeting is during the school holidays, and that the proposal is last on the agenda so it might get rubber-stamped.”

The meeting starts at 7pm at the Municipal Buildings in Gillingham.