THREE new mobile phone masts will be put up around Worcester, including one near a local primary school, under plans submitted to the city council.

Vodafone has requested permission to put two 40-feet (12 metre) masts and associated transmitter equipment at Perdiswell and Cherry Orchard, while O2 has applied to install a 50-feet (15-metre) mast in Lower Wick.

The Vodafone mast at Cherry Orchard would be put up on Bath Road, on land to the rear of local firm WAS Tyres, just yards from Cherry Orchard Primary School.

If permission is granted by the city council, the new mast would be the second to be built on the Bath Road site – a Hutchinson 3G (Three) mast has stood there for some time.

Vodafone’s application, submitted last month, claims the new mast would not have a negative impact on the look of the area.

It states: “It could be considered a 12 metre ‘telegraph pole’ design will blend into the street scene, due to the design for the installation – especially considering there are other vertical structures in the locality including lamp posts, sign posts and telegraph poles.

“There is an existing H3G mast (showing the need for coverage in this area) which is far more prominent than the considerate telegraph pole design.”

Vodafone hopes to put a similar mast on Droitwich Road in Perdiswell, around the point where buses exit the county council’s park and ride facility.

The mast would offer 3G mobile coverage to Vodafone customers for around a mile radius.

Vodafone’s application states: “This site is required to provide 3G coverage and increased network capacity to the Northwick area of Worcester, and particularly that centred around Checketts Lane. Currently Vodafone’s 3G coverage in and around this area is still very limited.”

The company’s application shows it assessed 16 potential sites around Perdiswell before settling on the Droitwich Road park and ride scheme.

O2, meanwhile, wants to put a new mast on land beside Venture Park, on Weir Lane in Lower Wick. It submitted plans three weeks ago to put a large mast to the rear of Dairy Crest.

All three applications will be decided by the city council over the coming weeks.

There are currently about 80 mobile phone masts across the Worcester area.