PLANNING chiefs at Warrington have given the go-ahead for a hi-tech Street Hub to replace an existing BT pay phone near a Co-op store in Knutsford Road, Latchford.
British Telecom applied for planning consent for the installation as part of a scheme to provide a network of 13 hubs across the town centre, replacing payphones.
Last month, planners refused permission for a number of hubs after police expressed concern about the potential for anti-social behaviour near the hubs.
But members of the development management committee have now approved the Knutsford Road proposal, subject to a number of conditions,
Street Hubs replace payphones and more than 400 have already been installed in towns and cities across the country. They offer free phone calls to anywhere in the UK – including to mobiles.
They have a dedicated 999 call button and automatically share location.
They do not have a handset – calls use a tablet and microphone and caller privacy is offered by a headphone jack. There is also a directional speaker and noise-cancelling microphone offering call clarity and quality.
BT says Street Hubs bring councils, communities and citizens wide-scale digital connectivity at no cost – entirely run and installed by BT.
Full-fibre internet allows “lightning-fast” Wi-Fi connectivity – allowing speeds up to 13.9 times faster than standard, fixed-line home broadband.
Content filtering prevents access to adult-only websites.
The service is funded by commercial advertising on two screens on either side of the hub – which will also display local information. But the hub occupies less space than existing payphones.
BT have applied for planning consent for advertising on the hub and this will be dealt with by officers under delegated authority shortly.
