CONTROVERSIAL plans to install a police radio mast at the site of the old telephone exchange at Yelverton were approved last week by planners.

The application from Airwaves mm02 Ltd to remove an existing monopole and replace it with a 15-metre-high mast and to install new antennae and equipment cabin was approved at Dartmoor National Park Authority?s planning committee meeting last Friday.

The masts are part of the national Airwaves project, which aims to give complete communication coverage to emergency services.

Operators Airwave mm02 recently announced they were delaying the implementation of the Airwave police communication network in Devon and Cornwall for up to two years, and in light of this, opponents were urging planners to suspend a decision on the application for at least 18 months.

Concerns about the health impact and visual intrusion of the mast were raised by the Dartmoor Preservation Association, Buckland Monachorum Parish Council and more than 100 nearby residents.

Dartmoor National Park planning officers said there was no proof mobile phone masts caused health problems and they said each application had to be considered in planning terms, rather than with reference to potential health risks.

Applications for two other Airwave site proposals on Dartmoor, at Trendlebeer and Widecombe-in-the-Moor, were rejected at the meeting.