Plans for new-style phone boxes with defibrillators rejected by Sheffield Council
Phones would have been in locations across the city centre
Plans for a new range of phone kiosks with phone calls and defibrillators have been thrown out by Sheffield Council.
New World Payphones wanted to set up a number of kiosks at city centre locations including Arundel Gate and The Moor, and were supported by the Resuscitation Council UK .
The new style ‘boxes’ would not have been entirely enclosed like traditional ones, but would have had a see-through wall on one side, and would allow people to pay with their bank card, rather than coins.
They would also have an advertising TV screen on the outside, and a medical defibrillator machine, which could be used as an emergency treatment for heart attack victims.
They would also have had interactive map information and details on how to get to places
But the plans have been rejected after objections from both ward councillors for the Sheffield central ward, and from The Friends of Sheffield City Centre Group.
A council officer’s report into the plans said: “The Local Planning Authority considered that the proposed kiosk would by virtue of its siting, design and size result in a prominent and incongruous feature that causes visual amenity harm through the introduction of unnecessary visual clutter.
“The proposal is unacceptable individually and cumulatively when assessed in combination with other similar developments. Furthermore, in this instance, the public benefits do not outweigh this harm to the appearance and character of the setting of the nearby Conservation Areas.”
The Resuscitation Council UK had urged the council to allow the scheme, stating that new defibrillators would help give the best possible chance of surviving a cardiac arrest.