People living near an east Oxford site rejected by planners for a new mobile phone mast are calling for an appeal against the decision to be held in public.

BT Cellnet applied to Oxford City Council last year for permission to build a 12.5m mast on sports ground adjacent to Bartlemas Close in Cowley, which is owned by Lincoln College.

City planners turned the application down in September, but BT is now appealing to the Government. The appeal is due to be decided by the Bristol-based Planning Insp- ectorate after written submissions from both sides are considered.

But residents living near the site claim their quality of life is at stake, and the issue should be decided in public.

Protester Annie Davy, 41, of nearby Kenilworth Avenue, said she understood the inspectorate could decide to have the hearing in public if there was sufficient local pressure or concern.

She said: "We've put in a 112-signature petition to the insp- ectorate, and a lot of us have sent letters. But this is not a middle-class area and there are a lot of people who were not confident about writing, or who have English as a second language.

"The siting of this mast and its equipment cabin, in a green corridor of recreational and protected open space close to a residential area with families and young children, would significantly alter the appearance and feel of the area."

Ms Davy said residents were also concerned about the lack of research into the effects of low level radiation emitted by masts.

They felt they had not been told enough about any additional noise or pollution the mast might cause.

She said residents understood this was the first time a decision against a mobile phone mast had been contested in Oxford, and they feared it may set a precedent.

They also want the council to find ways of working with phone companies, perhaps even suggesting suitable sites on council-owned land.

No-one from the council was available for comment.