New Torquay ‘street hubs’ to replace old phone boxes

New ‘street hubs’ in the centre of Torquay could give shoppers free ultra-fast wifi, free phone calls and the chance to charge their phones for free.

But opponents of the hubs and the screens that go with them say they are a nuisance and add to the ‘clutter’ in British high streets.
BT is applying for three of the three-metre-tall hubs in the town’s main streets – one at Tor Hill House outside Subway and two in Union Street, one outside McDonalds and the other outside Primark.
The hubs come with two screens each, on which advertisements and public information can be displayed.
BT says they ‘provide a sleek and modern answer to the demands of a digitally connected society’. The company’s application goes on: “Investment in the high street is at an all-time low, but that has not slowed BT down as they look to ramp up their rollout of new street hubs across the UK.
“They are continuing their commitment to invest and improve in the high street, decluttering these environments with the associated removal of existing and redundant BT phone boxes.”
But not everyone is a fan of the high-tech hubs, which can also provide the council with environmental data from sensors embedded in the structure.
Winchester City Council rebuffed BT’s advances, saying the hubs were ‘hideous’ and ‘horrendous’. The Huddersfield Civic Society praised the local Kirklees Council for rejecting BT’s plans, saying the hubs represented ‘unnecessary clutter’ and were a danger to people with limited mobility.
Preston City Council turned them down, saying they would mean less room for people using crowded pavements. Other councils including those in Swindon, Colchester and Banbury have also rejected the hubs.