THE chairman of Bexley Council's planning committee has accused a planning inspector of "overreaching himself" when he suggested suitable alternative sites to a mobile phone company.

Another committee member asked if companies were waging "turf wars" in Bexley to beat rival firms to suitable sites for their masts.

The committee was debating an application by Orange to put a 10m mast, disguised as a telegraph pole, and an equipment cabinet next to an electricity sub-station at the junction of West Heath Road and Woolwich Road in Upper Abbey Wood.

The application had been recommended by planners for permission but resident John Davey, on behalf of Lesness and District Residents' Association, queried how the council could approve the application when a previous one by another company, just yards away, had been refused both by the council and a planning inspector.

Mr Davey told the committee: "We feel like a community under siege.

"There are so many mobile phone applications, it is wearing people down.

"We are forever having to fight against them and each one which is approved is ruining our area."

A planning officer explained when the inspector turned down the previous application, it was because of the equipment cabinets, not the mast.

However, committee chairman, Councillor Tonya Kelsey said: "I think the inspector overreached himself when he suggested the installations could be located here or there."

Committee member Councillor Alan Downing agreed and said: "I am concerned the appeal inspector identified alternative sites which he would have approved."

The committee heard the proposed mast was one of three Orange is hoping to put up in the area to replace the one it will have to remove from St Joseph's annexe to Bexley College in Woolwich Road, because of redevelopment.

Councillor Munir Malik asked whether mobile phone companies co-operated with each other or if there were turf wars which meant operators moved in on each other's sites.

Head of planning Sue Clark said in light of the inspector's remarks, the council was unlikely to succeed if a refusal led to an appeal.

The committee split on the issue, with five votes for and against the application, and Cllr Kelsey used her chairman's casting vote to refuse it.