Plans to replace the phone box at the west end of The Grove with a 'street hub' featuring two large 75" screens has been refused by Bradford Council planners.
BT currently have over 950 street hubs across the UK and submitted plans in September to place one on The Grove in Ilkley. With large advertising screens both sides, the company says it would offer Wi-Fi and free phone calls, and promote community events and activities.
Ilkley Town Council opposed the application for numerous reason including how it would be contrary to the Ilkley Neighbourhood Development Plan, which promotes and encourages new development to be sympathetic to the conservation area and Ilkley’s historic environment.
A spokesperson for Ilkley Town Council said:
"Ilkley Town Council is delighted to receive the confirmation that Bradford Council’s Planning Authority has rejected the BT Street Hub that was proposed for The Grove.
"At November’s Ilkley Town Council Planning Committee meeting, councillors agreed to recommend that Bradford Council rejects a proposal by BT to place an illuminated advertising ‘street hub’ on The Grove, replacing the existing public telephone box.
"Ilkley Town Council’s Planning Committee will continue to be proactive in scrutinising all planning applications for the benefit of the town and will monitor Bradford Council’s Planning Authority’s decisions in light of its recommendations."
Bradford Council planners have refused the plans citing how the proposed Street Hub will be approx. 0.8 metres taller and include two illuminated digital displays, creating visual harm and clutter due to its visual prominence, and introducing an element absent from the current streetscape.
In its report, Bradford planners said:
"The proposed development, by reason of its prominent position and excessive scale emphasised by its illuminated nature, would represent an incongruous and strident feature, that would harm the character and appearance of the street scene and wider Ilkley Conservation Area, which is not outweighed by public benefits. For this reason, the proposal is contrary to policies DS1, DS3 and EN3 of the Core Strategy Development Plan Document.
"The proposed development would be at the detriment of highway and pedestrian safety and could be a distraction to drivers of motor vehicles in a busy pedestrian area due to its positioning and illumination. The development is therefore contrary to Policy DS5 of the Core Strategy Development Plan Document."
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