BT plan to replace phone kiosks with street hubs in Inverness city centre lambasted as ‘inappropriate’
Conservation officers have denounced plans to replace old phone boxes in Inverness city centre with “huge” digital advertising monoliths.
BT is seeking permission to remove several phone kiosks - including two in Church Street outside Coffee Affair, and two in the High Street next to its junction with Church Street - and replace them with 3m high Street Hubs.
The hubs will offer free public wi-fi, free UK calls, USB charging and a way of contacting the emergency services.
But Highland Council’s historic environment team has submitted a strongly-worded objection stating they would not be acceptable within the conservation area.
• BT payphone set to be removed from Church Street due to underuse
Almost 1000 Street Hub units have already gone live in towns and cities elsewhere in the UK.
But they have proved controversial in many places. In Edinburgh, for example, permission has been turned down for 37 out of 38 cases.
In its objection to the Inverness Street Hubs, the council’s historic environment team says BT has clearly failed to consider the impacts upon the heritage context, and any public benefits are entirely outweighed by the excessive scale and inappropriate nature of the installations.
“The principle of these large monoliths, the primary impact of which is as physically obtrusive slabs with visually obtrusive digital advertising screens on either side, is not acceptable within the conservation area,” it states.
“The scale of these monoliths is huge, at 2.98m tall, 1.24m wide and 350mm deep.
“These structures, and their digital advertising screens, are entirely inappropriate within a conservation area.”
It goes on to say all the locations will also adversely affect the setting of adjacent listed buildings.
“The structures are overtly modern and high-tech in their form, operation and appearance, which will emphasise and exacerbate their obtrusive and inappropriate impacts within this historic designated area,” the objection states.
It is objecting to a total of six applications.
It states a proposal in Inglis Street is particularly problematic due to the isolated and very obtrusive positioning within the streetscape.
As part of this application, three phone kiosks would be removed - two outside 1 Academy Street and one outside M&S.
Another application would see two existing phone kiosks outside 24 Church Street removed.
Officers say this location is an open area of pavement which currently has very little existing street furniture and so it would add to the obtrusive prominence of the monolith structure.
Officers also say the proposed removal of two phone-kiosks outside 35 High Street is at another overly prominent and obtrusive location.
A supporting statement accompanying the planning application by lodged with the council by BT says Street Hubs structures are of a high quality, accessible design which would be a significant improvement when compared to the existing payphone kiosks.
It states: “BT Street Hubs have the potential to significantly enhance the provision of local community communications facilities and services.
“It is precisely the type of highspeed digital infrastructure that the government is seeking to support as part of the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
“It will deliver social, economic, and environmental benefits by providing a suite of essential urban tools/services, including free ultrafast Wi-Fi to residents, businesses and visitors in this area.
“Overall BT Street Hubs will help future proof the high street making them smarter, safer, and more sustainable through their adaptable design and function.”
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