A NEW ‘street hub’ offering free public wifi, USB charging and an emergency services button could soon be installed in Salisbury city centre.

Mitie Telecoms, on behalf of BT, has applied to Wiltshire Council for permission to install a BT Street Hub on the pavement in Market Walk.

As part of the plans, two payphones would be removed – replaced by the unit.

As well as offering free services to the public, BT Street Hubs can also store 5G ‘cells’ to provide signal for users, as well as monitoring pedestrian, cycle and vehicle traffic in the surrounding area.

“HD displays on the sides are used to carry advertising, which helped to fund the units, but the screens can also show local content free of charge,” the application said.

The plans said the hubs are part of BT plans to “move forward with public connectivity”, providing “a sleek and modern answer to the demands of a digitally-connected society”.

BT wants to remove two phone boxes in Market Walk, Salisbury, as part of plans for a new ‘street hub’. Picture: Google

The application also highlighted environmental schemes which could benefit from the hubs.

“Street Hubs can house sensors that count pedestrian, cyclist and vehicle movements, as well as monitor air, sound and light,” it said.

“This free information will help the planning system actively manage patterns of growth in support of national air quality objectives and the Government’s 10-point plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

“It will be a useful source of real-time data in the delivery of the council’s own green agenda, travel plans and can be used to present a business case for carbon offset credit.”

READ MORE: Upwards extension plan for Salisbury shop building to create two new flats
READ MORE: Click here for more planning news from your Salisbury & Avon Gazette

It added Street Hubs will “help future-proof the high street making them smarter, safer and more sustainable”.

For more details, and to comment on the plans, log on to wiltshire.gov.uk and search application reference PL/2024/10592.