A MOBILE phone company has defended plans to erect a transmitter in a heritage site.
Local councillors are furious Wigan MBC planners gave planning permission for a mast at the Marklands Building on Stanley Street, Tyldesley.
Robert Bleakley, a former Liberal Democrat councillor and planning committee member, says the application sh
ould have been declined.
"I can't understand how they can allow this in a heritage area. It doesn't seem right.
"When I was on the committee we rejected plans for a mast at this site but now it seems they've changed their standards."
But the company who drew up the plans say a specially made housing will camouflage the ugly antenna.
Stephen Short, from Pentland GT, worked on the application for O2.
"The mast in Tyldesley is one of our 'stealth' masts."
"It's on the fourth storey and it is done in such a way that, even if you knew it was there, it would be difficult to pick it out."
Wigan Council planning officer Kevin Foster explained: "The reason this one was approved is because it's only 1.5 metres tall and it's fully encased.
"They've done it before very effectively. They sent us a sample of the material they will be using to surround it and it will blend in well."
