Plan for new Bristol Street Hub approved

The screen would offer free wifi, free phone calls and USB charging, while advertisements are displayed on the side of the screen

Plans to replace city-centre payphones with a "Smart Hub" featuring an advertising screen, free wifi and USB charging points have been approved.

BT applied for planning permission from Bristol City Council to remove two payphones in Merchant Street off Broadmead.

The company said the project would help "future-proof" the city centre, making it "smarter and safer".

Some local residents had objected, one calling the screens "horrible".

Avon and Somerset Police had also expressed concerns about robbery and the hubs being used for drug dealing.

Crime prevention design adviser Peter Wozniak said similar screens in London have seen queues of drug users waiting to use the free 30-second phone calls.

He said: "The intention of the Street Hub device is to encourage users to use generally high value mobile devices, out in the public realm.

"Good crime reduction advice recommends that to protect yourself from street robbery, you should keep your mobile phone and valuables out of sight. It therefore becomes a personal safety issue, with users open to street robbery."

Permission was granted at Bristol City Council's development control committee on 24 August.

One local resident said: "The introduction of more advertising will detract from the visual quality of the street for residents and be an aspect that drives tourists away.

"Advertising screens would consume energy, and in the middle of an environmental crisis we should consider energy a scarce resource."

Lewis Baldwin, a planning consultant representing BT, said: "The Street Hub will help future-proof the high street, making them smarter, safer, and more sustainable.

"Investment in the high street is at an all-time low, but that hasn't slowed BT down as they look to ramp up their rollout of new Street Hubs across the UK."

The hubs also include sensors to count pedestrians and bicycles, and monitor air quality.