Bury North MP James Daly has raised concerns that plans to build a 16m 5G mast on an estate in Greenmount may not be debated by the council's planning committee despite a public backlash.

Since mobile phone operator Three lodged an application to install the large mast on Coleridge Road, more than 150 objections have been made.

But the council may decide to give the proposals the go-ahead next week.

If approved, the mast would be situated on a small patch of land and would be double the height of nearby houses.

Residents said the structure would be “overbearing” and “completely out of place” and have listed other concerns.

Councillors and Mr Daly have sent letters to residents affected in the area after it was reported only five properties were consulted over the proposals.

Fears have been aired that the application may be approved by a council officer through what is known as a “delegated decision”, rather than at the local authority's planning committee.

This concern has prompted Mr Daly to write to the council’s chief executive and head of planning to request the application to be heard by the committee.

He said: “I am pushing for this decision to be put before the planning committee to ensure the people of Greenmount are not ignored.

“There have been some unhelpful suggestions the council are unable to reject this proposal due to national planning policy.

“This is simply not true. Councils are not able to outright ban mast building in their area, but they are absolutely able to reject applications based on normal planning concerns.”

However, a decision on the plans is set to be made on Monday, October 17.

Mr Daly added: “It seems extraordinary that the only consultation the applicant conducted was with Bury Council and a single email sent to Greenmount Primary School during the summer holidays.

“There is no evidence to say this email was sent to the correct email address or that it was indeed received.

“It is inconceivable that this consultation should have completely discounted all local residents and other interested local organisations.

“The required consultations were not sufficient or in line with the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and if allowed to proceed by way of delegated decision would mean the local Greenmount community has been completely excluded from the process and any views or questions they may have had or do have been treated with utter contempt by the applicant.”

In response, a council spokesperson said: "All submissions and representations made will be considered in the assessment of the application.

"The reason that these proposals are delegated decisions is because they are not planning applications and if a decision is not made before the expiry date (October 17, 2022) then the regulations deem the development approved by default.

"As such there is not sufficient time to wait for a committee date.

"The national policy is positive on the need for improved telecommunications and as they are ‘prior approvals’ the government has already confirmed their acceptability in principle.

"The council’s role is to look at the conditions that the government has attached to such development and to exercise its decision in terms of siting and appearance.

"Not all masts are approved but any refused can be subject to an appeal determined by the Planning Inspectorate.

"The scope of the applicant’s consultation is set out in the applicant’s supporting information.

"Notwithstanding, the council did consult on the application in the immediate vicinity.

"Irrespective of whom was consulted, any comments made are taken into consideration accordingly.

"Telecommunications operators have a similar status to statutory undertakers.

"The land involved with this scheme forms part of the adopted highway.

"The highways authority have been consulted on the proposals and this forms part of the planning and highways considerations."

A Three spokesperson added: “We understand the Greenmount community’s concern for their local spaces and will continue our engagement with the council as they consider the planning decision.

"Our main objective is to bring a reliable network experience to the residents, providing better connectivity.”

Mr Daly has written to residents and included a link to his website where he has placed the letters and his objection to the application for residents to see.

This link can be found here: https://www.jamesdaly.org.uk/greenmountmast