RESIDENTS will have to put up with a 12.5 metre phone mast because council officers failed to issue their rejection in time.

The giant phone mast, which went up in Warren Road in Brighton last week, will remain despite planning officers deciding to deny telecommunications companies CTIL, Vodafone and Telefonica UK permission for its installation.

The mast will be allowed to remain because the council failed to inform the applicants of their decision within the eight week deadline.

Under national planning rules, applications must be informed within 56 days of their application being submitted.

Planning committee chairwoman Julie Cattell has now apologised to residents for the council error.

The council’s planning team received the application on March 29 and issued their refusal on what they believed was the 56th day of May 23.

However, the authority has since learnt there was a five day delay between the council’s post room receiving the application and the planning team receiving it.

As the decision was issued after the legal timeline, the phone mast is now deemed to have received consent.

The council launched an investigation after work on installing the mast began last week.

Planning committee chairwoman Cllr Julie Cattell has now apologised to residents calling the administrative error "a terrible oversight".

She said: “I’m very sorry for the delay that occurred and I apologise to Woodingdean residents who opposed the mast and who took the time to make their views known to us.

“I have taken this up with senior staff at the council and although this will be of little comfort with regards to this case, this terrible oversight has resulted in the council’s procedures being changed to reduce, as far as possible, a repeat of this very unfortunate situation.”