Oswestry BT Street Hub plan recommended for refusal
Planning officials have recommended that plans to site a BT Street Hub in Willow Street, Oswestry, in place of a telephone kiosk should be refused.
Members of Shropshire Council's Northern Planning Committee will meet on December 6 to discuss the proposals for the proposed hub, which would incorporate an LED static digital display screen on which businesses could pay for advertisements.
The hubs provide ultra-fast public and encrypted Wi-Fi, USB ports for rapid device charging, free phone calls, a direct 999 call function, plus the ability to display community and emergency access messaging.
They also offer access to local council services, national charities for support, the BT phone book, local weather, information and wayfinding.
In a report, planning officials said that although the proposed hub would be located to the rear of Home Bargains and close to commercial shop fronts, it would be directly opposite The Boards Head, a Grade II listed building and adjacent to other properties of similar status.
The report states that the relatively large and tall structure "would have a harmful impact on the street scene and Conservation Area".
It would, the report said, have a harmful effect adding visual clutter to the street scene while undermining the setting and appearance of nearby buildings.
Although providing public benefits, officials have said they do not consider these outweigh the harm identified.
