Plans for seven futuristic town centre phone boxes with touch-screens – branded baffling – have been refused.
Council officers rejected the proposals for Folkestone, claiming the project would result in “an over-concentration of street furniture and visual clutter”.
New World Payphones had submitted separate bids for all seven phone boxes – two in Guildhall Street and one each in Sandgate Road, Shellons Street, West Terrace, Cheriton High Street and Middelburg Square – arguing such facilities “continue to provide a necessary public service”, despite the prevalence of mobile phones.
Each would have a digital advertisement display on one side.
But members of Folkestone and Hythe District Council’s (FHDC) planning department were not convinced, refusing to give the proposals the green light.
Their decision has been backed by Cllr Tim Prater, who represents the Sandgate and West Folkestone ward, and who questioned whether anyone would use them.
The Lib Dem told KentOnline: “It was good in my mind that it was refused. The application baffled me. I didn’t know if the planning officers were seeing more information than was in the application but it seems not as I think the application also baffled them.
“I can remember over five years ago watching BT removing the two phone boxes in Sandgate and the consultation about removing them.
“They told me one had been used exactly zero times in the previous 12 months and the other had been used exactly once – at which point I have to admit there wasn’t a business case to keep them.”
The application for the phone box outside 31 Guildhall Street attracted 11 objections on FHDC’s planning portal.
Sonia Pace, of Pace Fitness, commented: “The installation of a phone box and communications kiosk would detract from the visual appeal of the area.
“Pace Fitness has invested significant time and resources into creating an attractive, safe space for our clients. The presence of a kiosk, often associated with litter and graffiti, would undermine these efforts and potentially deter customers from visiting our premises.
“Already, three clients have requested to stop should this go ahead and thus a detrimental impact on my business is not acceptable.”
In 2017, BT announced it would be removing 20,000 of its 40,000 stock of public telephones across the UK because about a third were used less than once a day.
But New World Payphones previously said its “multi-communication hubs for the future” can “provide a safety net for people without access to a landline or working mobile phone”.
The phone operators said in documents: “In areas with poor mobile coverage, a public call box can be the only option for making calls, including to the emergency services. Telephone kiosks continue to provide a necessary public service.
“The traditional kiosk is in need of updating to reflect the modern society that we live in.
“We have chosen a new modern design, reflecting the instantly recognisable telephone kiosk heritage, ensuring it provides open access for all.”
The boxes would have been black and built in the trademark British style but with three sides and no door.
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Officers refused the scheme last week, stating in their report: “It would lead to an over-concentration of street furniture and visual clutter that would have an unacceptable impact on the street scene and town centre.
“The proposal would also compromise the missions of the Folkestone Place Plan, and therefore contrary to interests of acknowledged planning importance.”
New World Payphones has been contacted for comment.
