FEARS are growing over the number of mobile phone masts being erected in Liphook, following the latest application to site one near Longmoor Road. An application has been submitted to East Hampshire District Council to site a 25-metre lattice mast on land to the north of Longmoor Road, south of the slip road onto the southbound carriageway of the A3. This follows the recent controversial erection of a mast near Bohunt School, also on Longmoor Road. One Liphook resident feared the community was being "kept in the dark" about mast applications in and around the village. "I've lived in Liphook for about 25 years and I never have a clue about the masts that seem to just appear," said Sue Stevens, who lives just off Longmoor Road. "People need to be more aware of what is happening here, so they at least have the chance to raise concerns and their objections to the district council." Mrs Stevens does not believe new masts are necessary in an area which she claims already has good mobile phone reception. "I would have thought it was places like Fernhurst and Milland that needed improved coverage," she said. "Because Liphook has grown to such an extent, we have more and more children here and people do not want these masts around the village, because they are worried about the health risks." Her sentiments have been echoed on the Liphook community website, where contributors have raised the possibility of starting a petition. "I have become aware of the growing concerns about the siting, and proposed siting, of masts in the Liphook area and feel that there is a large portion of the Liphook population that is completely unaware that it is going on," wrote one concerned resident. "I accept that these masts have to be erected, but why do (applicants) insist on trying to put them in the middle or on the edges of villages? Can't more suitable locations be found"? But the latest application was treated more sympathetically when it was discussed at a recent meeting of the parish council's planning committee. The chairman of the committee, Anna James, considered the proposed site suitable because, she said, it was not close to residential properties and would be well screened by trees. The installation of the mast would also not involve the felling of any trees. She added that the owner of the property nearest the application site had not objected and that she believed there was less concern in general because the proposed mast was not a TETRA (Terrestrial Trunked Radio) mast. TETRA masts, which are part of a new police communications network, apparently transmit and receive signals at a frequency higher than the level recommended by the government's chief scientific adviser, Sir William Stewart, in his report on mobile phone safety. This is associated with a number of alleged health risks, including sleep deprivation, nausea, headaches and ear pressure. Members of the parish council's planning committee heard that the phone mast applicant, Hutchinson 3G Uk Ltd, had considered three other sites besides the present one, including Old Thorns Golf and Country Club, the industrial estate in Longmoor Road and the nearby scrap yard. The owners of Old Thorns and the scrap yard had refused to accommodate the mast on their respective sites and the industrial estate in Longmoor Road was considered too close to residential properties and inadequately screened. The committee raised no formal objection to the current proposal on condition that the mast and all associated equipment should be removed when no longer required and the land restored to its original condition. Those wishing to raise concerns over the proposal should contact the planning department of East Hampshire District Council at Penns Place in Petersfield.