Families fighting plans to install a telecommunications mast near their homes are furious after being told they have missed the chance to object to the application at a planning meeting.

Instead, principal planning officer Dale Scott will use his delegated powers on Monday to decide whether proposals to put a 45ft mast near Frimley Drive, Little Horton, Bradford, should be accepted.

Mr Scott will consider written objections and a petition sent in by residents. But because the obj-ections came in a week after the 56-day deadline, the issue will not be discussed at the meeting, so residents cannot object in person.

Angry protesters say there should be a special panel meeting because many of them were unaware of the proposals or time limits. Objector Philip Bower said: "It seems the planning system works against you. We objected within the time limit of making representations to the application. But in order to get it on the planning agenda we needed to do it just over a week earlier."

Mr Bower, 38, and his wife Alison, 33, who have collected a petition, say they want the Council to reject the application.

The couple, who have an eight-month-old son Josiah, have written to the Council, saying the mast "is such a height that it will tower over all neighbouring properties in an unsightly and disturbing manner".

They say the mast will only be about 15 yards away from their home and they are deeply concerned about the possible effect on their baby's health.

Mr and Mrs Bower have told planning officers eight out of ten people were unaware of the application and there should have been letters informing them of it.

Labour ward councillor Keith Thomson said he had called for a special meeting of the area planning panel, where the views of the residents should be taken into account. "They need to feel confident they are not at risk," he said.

Panel chairman Councillor Clive Richardson said the application had been advertised and was on the weekly list of planning applications which members received. "Unfortunately the ward councillors missed it and it was outside the time for an item to put on the agenda," he said. "The panel decided informally that the decision should be made under delegated powers and it had to meet a 56-day time limit."