Plans to build a much larger broadcast transmitter in south Norfolk were last night approved, subject to conditions.District council planners agreed that National Grid Wireless could replace the 165m-high mast at Tacolneston with one measuring 206m as part of the move to give the nation digital television.

Plans to build a much larger broadcast transmitter in south Norfolk were last night approved, subject to conditions.

District council planners agreed that National Grid Wireless could replace the 165m-high mast at Tacolneston with one measuring 206m as part of the move to give the nation digital television.

The council had received six letters of objection from local people. Residents had asked for reassurance that the mast did not pose a health risk for those living nearby and said the new mast would affect the setting of Tacolneston Hall. The council had also received two letters of support for the plans.

At a meeting of the south-west area planning committee, chairman Beverley Spratt asked what impact wind turbines might have on the new mast.

Adrian Briggs, senior project engineer for National Grid Wireless, said: “There are two issues with wind turbines. Effectively, if they are very close to a mast they can physically block signals. The other issue is that if the turbines reflect the signal, a viewer can get more than one signal coming to their television, called ghosting, which is when another image appears.

“When windfarm developers are looking at sites, they come and consult with us. By the time an application is made, we would hope any remediation measures that are necessary will have been taken into account.”