After Rejections, Preston City Council Approve BT’s Gigabit WiFi Street Hub

The Preston City Council in Lancashire has approved BT’s proposed deployment of a new WiFi Street Hub on Church Street. The move comes shortly after the same local authority rejected a similar proposal to deploy the smart kiosks on both Friargate North and New Hall Lane (here), where they were deemed to be at risk of “increasing street clutter”.

The operator’s newer Street Hub 2 units have suffered somewhat of a popularity dip in the last year or so, with various councils raising objections (here); some of which were later overturned on appeal. The smart kiosks typically feature “up to” 1Gbps capable public WiFi (“within a 150-metre radius“), free UK calling, USB device charging, small cells to boost localised 4G and 5G mobile signals, local information / adverts via a large 75″ HD display and environmental sensors etc.

However, a number of local authorities have highlight concerns over the location, design, scale (they’re 2.98 metres high, 1.24m wide and 35cm deep) and illumination of the kiosks. In the case of Preston, the two prior applications were rejected because the authority felt they would have had a “significant unacceptable adverse impact” on the character of the street by “increasing street clutter” and reducing the width of the footpath (this was in an area where the council had been trying to reduce clutter).

The good news for BT is that one of their other applications in Preston has now been approved on Church Street (here and here), where it seems the circumstances are different – the new kiosk will replace two legacy PCBs that are said to be in a “state of disrepair“.

Planning Statement

As such, it is considered that whilst the proposed signage, and the hub as a whole, would be noticeably larger in scale and brighter in illumination than any advertising present along this section of Church Street, it is not considered to cause any unacceptable harm to the character and appearance of the wider street-scene.

Given the proposed city centre location of the site and Church Street being a main thoroughfare comprising a mix of commercial uses at ground floor level, the proposed development is not considered to cause harm to the amenity of any nearby residential properties in terms of loss of light, outlook, privacy or light spill.

However, despite the positive turn, BT will be required to meet several conditions. For example, the big LCD screen will not be allowed to show any moving, flashing or scrolling images (so as to avoid distracting drivers) and each static advert/message must only show for a minimum of 10 seconds. The screen’s brightness must also be limited between dusk and dawn.

A BT Group Spokesperson previously told ISPreview:

“Street Hubs are digital units which support our Universal Service Obligation to provide a public call service in the UK. We work with council departments, community members, and BID (Business Improvement District) teams to refine our location selection process.

As well as offering connectivity to make calls and utilise free public Wi-Fi, Street Hubs also offer USBs for rapid device charging, touch-screen tablets displaying real-time public information and a dedicated 999 calling button.”