A planning application to put up a mobile phone mast in the grounds of Wells Cathedral School has been refused after objections from the school itself.

An application had been made by Vodafone for the installation of a 12.5m lattice mast with ground based cabinets and ancillary development at Wells Cathedral School Sports Ground, Torhill Lane, Wells.

However, Mendip District Council planners have refused the proposal, following an objection from Wells Cathedral School.

In its public comment on the application, the school said: "The school, which owns the land that is subject to the application, is concerned about the proposal contained within the application and with procedural aspects of the application itself.

"Specifically, the school has not been consulted, nor therefore has it had the opportunity to formally consult with its parents, pupils and staff.

"The site is within a Protection of Formal and Informal Recreation Spaces area and immediately bordering a local wildlife sites area.

"It is a beautiful area used extensively for recreation by the public as well as the school, and it is considered that the industrial appearance of a lattice mast is not at all in keeping with the area.

"It appears to the school that the proposed installation would not address poor coverage in some surrounding areas because, it assumes, the proposed location is in a valley.

"It therefore questions whether the site is in the optimal location in order to meet network users' needs."

In their report refusing the application, the Mendip planners said: "Inadequate justification and evidence has been provided to demonstrate that the applicant has explored the possibility of erecting antennas on an existing building, mast or other structures with the aim being to keep the numbers of radio and telecommunications masts and the sites for such installations to a minimum consistent with the efficient operation of the network.

"Given the options of sharing with other telecommunications installations in Wells have not been sufficiently ruled out and the need for the mast has not been adequately justified, the mast represents an unjustified alien feature that would result in undue visual clutter due to over proliferation of telecommunications equipment in Wells."