Highland Council refuses ‘entirely inappropriate’ smart hub plans by BT for prominent Inverness city centre sites
Controversial plans to replace phone kiosks with large ‘slab’-like display screens at Inverness city centre sites have been refused.
BT had sought permission to erect the three so-called ‘smart hubs’, which as well as displaying advertising would also have acted as free call and wi-fi hotspots, at prominent sites in Church Street, Inglis Street, and the High Street.
If they had been given the go ahead the trio of three-metre tall hubs which would also have offered USB charging, would have replaced two kiosks in Church Street outside Coffee Affair, two in the High Street, and two in Inglis Street.
The telecoms giant had already mothballed at least some of those kiosks in advance of its plans being decided - with would-be users of the kiosks in the likes of Church Street greeted by notices to say the phone boxes no longer operate.
But despite seemingly jumping the gun on any planning decision, the proposals drew the ire of Highland Council’s conservation and transport teams, who raised serious concerns over their suitability.
The former slammed the “physically obtrusive slabs” and their “visually obtrusive digital advertising screens”, branding them excessively large and “entirely inappropriate” for their setting. The transport team, meanwhile, also objected on road safety grounds, arguing that maintenance of the screens would lead to an increase in vehicle movements in pedestrian areas.
And those fears appear to have won the day, with the applications all refused on the grounds that they are out-of-keeping with the surrounding cityscape.
Explaining their recommendation to refuse the Inglis Street site, council officers said: “The proposed street hub will have an adverse impact on the historic character and appearance of the Inverness (Riverside) Conservation Area due to its location, large scale and design.
“The proposal will also adversely affect the setting of adjacent/nearby Listed Buildings, as well as failing to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Inverness (Riverside) Conservation Area.”
The officers voiced similar concerns when rejecting the other sites in Church Street and High Street.
It is unclear where this leaves BT’s plans for smart hubs in Inverness, or if the telecoms giant will appeal.
The hubs have already been installed in more than 1000 locations across the UK, but they have proven controversial in many places. In Edinburgh alone, permission was refused in 37 of the 38 cases there.
