Vodafone has applied for permission for the 14-metre (45ft) mast at Preston Road, Linlithgow.

If approved the structure would be placed on the roadside verge at the corner of the new playpark, near Linlithgow Primary School and next to the Union Canal.

A separate application from Vodafone also proposes a new mast on Mains Road.

Linlithgow Comm-unity Council plans a formal objection.

Jack Thompson, planning spokesman, said: ''We are not in favour of masts that are too close to where children will be playing or going to school, because of the potential hazards. We will be submitting a formal objection, on the grounds of location and of size.''

West Lothian Council planners have received full details of the site, and councillors are likely to debate the issue at committee level.

West Lothian Council has a policy of refusing planning permission for masts on their own buildings, but mobile phone companies have right under law to use space on verges alongside public roads.

Linlithgow councillor Martyn Day urged local residents to have their say on the plans, whether for or against. He said: ''I am not a fan of masts, but the Preston Road location they have chosen does seem to be as far away from houses as it can be.

''I want to find out more about the network of masts it will link to before forming an opinion.

''But I would urge local residents to make their opinion known, whether in support or objecting.''

Councillor Tom Conn said he would like to see telephone companies sharing sites, to minimise the number of applications coming before the council.

He said: ''Permission was recently granted for a mast at the rugby park – I would like to see the firms talking to each other with a view to sharing sites to minimise the number of masts.''

A spokesman for the council said: ''We give careful consideration to planning applications under our normal procedures.''

A Vodafone spokesman said the new mast was needed for 3G coverage, and the Preston Road site was the best one chosen after surveying 10 others.

He said that the company had written to local councillors, the community council and schools, and had not yet received any feedback.

The spokesman added that all stations were built to strict guidelines, with exposure levels hundreds of times below the guideline levels.