WILTSHIRE Council has refused plans which would have seen two new communication kiosks built in the city – complete with defibrillators and a provision for Wi-Fi.

New World Payphones (NWP) submitted plans to bring a new communication kiosk on the pavement outside Bradbeers department store on Blue Boar Road, but the plans have been refused on grounds that the new kiosk would ‘clutter up’ the pavement.

Plans were submitted for a kiosk opposite 1 to 3 Milford Street, but it was again refused on similar grounds.

In their plans, NWP said the new kiosk would provide a “safety net” for those without access to a landline or working mobile, adding that in areas with poor mobile coverage, a public telephone box can be the only option for making calls, including to the emergency services.

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The proposals would have included a phone system with the ability to accept debit/credit cards, interactive wayfinding to display public information via a touchscreen, equipment for the provision of Wi-Fi access points, a defibrillator and a digital display for advertising.

Wiltshire Council said it has undertaken “significant improvements to the public realm” where the kiosks were proposed to make the area more attractive to pedestrians.

It says the proposal would be “very prominent, imposing and visually discordant within the historic streetscape”.

The council added: “The proposal would also add to street clutter and reduce the width of the public highway and would therefore adversely affect the safety and operation of the local highway network.

“The harms identified are not outweighed by the very limited public or other benefits of the proposal.”

Click here to stay updated with all the plans submitted across the Salisbury area.