A PROTEST bid to stop a 58ft-high mobile phone mast being put up outside a York social club has been launched by residents and businesses.

People living and working near Shepherd's Social Club, off Holgate Road, claim it could be a serious health risk.

But bosses at Vodafone, who have submitted a planning application with City of York Council to put up the telecommunications pole, reassured the community that it would be perfectly safe.

Shepherd Building Group, which owns the land, has objected to the scheme because of concern by club members and local residents.

Two hotels in the area, Holgate Hill Hotel and The Kilima, were offered £3,000-a-year by the mobile phone company to let them put up the mast in their grounds, but were turned down.

Diane Dolan, manager of the Kilima Hotel, in Holgate Road, said she was concerned that the mast would deter guests from staying there.

"There is no proven fact that these masts don't affect peoples' health," she said.

"They are still an unknown quantity. It will also be a complete eyesore."

Ms Dolan said she would be writing a letter of protest to planning chiefs.

Hazel Hart, owner of the Holgate Hill Hotel, also rejected the £3,000 offer.

"I didn't know about it until I got the letter," she said.

"We're not sure if there are health issues associated with masts."

Kerry Parker, who works in Holgate Road, said: "I'm worried about the health aspects of this, both for myself, my colleagues and also the wider community."

A Shepherd's spokesman said: "We would object if any application for planning consent for a mast was made within or close by our social club grounds."

A spokeswoman for Vodafone said: "We're well aware that some people have real concerns about telecommunication masts.

"I'd like to assure them that we comply with stringent international guidelines and have the formal backing of the World Health Organisation.

"We want to protect all sectors of the population including those living near masts. They have to be placed locally if we are going to provide an adequate service for our customers."

:: Phone protests

Recent mobile phone mast protests have included:

Residents in Sheriff Hutton were shocked to find an Orange mobile phone mast being set up without their knowledge two weeks ago, even though councillors were opposing it. They are still fighting against it.

A huge local protest was generated when phone company T-Mobile applied to install a 10m-high mast in a busy residential area in York. The site of the proposed mast, at the junction of Melrosegate and Tang Hall Lane, was only 100m away from a nursery and 200m away from a primary school. The plan was eventually thrown out.

T-Mobile was successful with another controversial application to install a mast on a block of allotments in Albemarle Road, South Bank.

Updated: 09:51 Thursday, November 17, 2005