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The phone company Hutchinson wants to erect a 20m telecom pole, an equipment cabin and associated equipment including microwave dishes at North Manchester General Hospital, on Crescent Road.

The site, which will be enclosed in a compound surrounded by 8ft high fencing, is on the east side of the hospital near to one of the car parks backed by mature trees overlooking a grassed valley with Slack Road on the far side.

Seven letters of objected have been received from nearby residents and parents whose children use the Tall Trees day nursery which is within the grounds of the hospital. They raise concerns over the health risks associated with the masts.

Planning policies operating in Manchester require that the distance between telecom masts and 'sensitive sites' such as day nurseries must be at least 200m. The proposed siting of the mast at the hospital has been amended to meet the criteria.

A public inquiry into the issue of mobile phone masts was launched in Manchester in March last year which resulted in a report being published by a specialist independent adviser Professor Stephen Barton.

Prof Barton's report concluded that more such masts should be allowed in the city which would allow individual installations to operate at lower powers and minimise public exposure to possible radiation.

He also proposed that masts should be located as close as possible to where people use mobile phones and in particular close to sensitive sites such as schools and hospitals rather than being remote from them to minimise potential risks.

A meeting is being planned between phone operators and Manchester's planning committee officials in February to discuss the findings of Prof Barton's report.

A decision on whether or not to alter the planning police in relation to telecom masts in light of Prof Barton's findings is expected to be taken later this year.