Phone box in front of Oru...

[NiteRyder]

Not sure if this has been asked before but is there any reason that eyesore still needs to be there????

[mac4]

Where/what is Oru..  ?

[MrsR]

[Sue]

1 hour ago, NiteRyder said:

Not sure if this has been asked before but is there any reason that eyesore still needs to be there????

Does it still contain a working phone?

If not, no reason to be there.

If so, does anybody ever use it? 

If not, no reason to be there.

But some people (eg homeless people)  may not have a mobile and might need access to a phone in an emergency if there was nobody else around?

I can't think of any other reason. Maybe Oru can shed some light? Or BT, if that still exists?

[Insuflo]

I think there is still a legal requirement that BT keep phone boxes that get used (average number of calls in a year?) or if there isn’t another box within a certain radius. Or if it’s an old red box it might be listed but obviously it’s not.

If BT wants to remove it, they need permission from the council , I think. So, I would imagine that the council can also request removal. So, it’s down to someone to ask the Goose Green councillors to have it taken away. I agree it’s a waste of pavement space and an eyesore.

Edited 14 hours ago by Insuflo

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

1 hour ago, Insuflo said:

I think there is still a legal requirement that BT keep phone boxes that get used

For a while there was an unexpected glitch in planning laws that meant phone box operators (which is obviously mostly BT, but there were others) didn't need council permission to replace call boxes with small electronic billboards, so long as you could make calls from the billboard. I *think* the one on the corner of Croxted Rd and Park Hall Rd is an example of that.

So the operators weren't always in a rush to remove the call boxes even when they didn't make any money on calls. I don't know if it still works like this.

This article talks about a slightly different aspect of what I think was the same planning oddity:

https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/lga-call-crackdown-trojan-telephone-boxes-amid-900-cent-rise-some-areas

Edited 12 hours ago by Dogkennelhillbilly

[NiteRyder]

I don't think I've ever seen it used other than for gluing advertising on it. It's definitely not a priority but these things typically get ignored and become part of the furniture (so to speak). 
There is a beautiful old red box near Upland Rd. I miss old red boxes... 😞

Anyway I'll have a dig around and see if anything can be done. 

[Spartacus]

12 minutes ago, NiteRyder said:

I don't think I've ever seen it used other than for gluing advertising on it. 

 

Unless you are watching it 24x7 then its hard to qualify that its not being used. Unless you are a business overlooking it of course.

Personally I am reassured we still have phone boxes as they provide a valuable emergency use. If you are mugged for you phone, you can call 999 from them, if your house or business is on fire and you run out without a phone you can dial 999 from them. Some people don't have a mobile so its potentially reassuring for them knowing they can call someone if they feel unwell whilst out. 

Just because some people don't see value in an object, doesn't mean others don't.

[Eats Dulwich]

2 minutes ago, Spartacus said:

If you are mugged for you phone, you can call 999 from them

I hate to be that guy but i don't think you'll get much joy calling 999 if your phone has been stolen. 

[Penguin68]

24 minutes ago, Eats Dulwich said:

I hate to be that guy but i don't think you'll get much joy calling 999 if your phone has been stolen.

But maybe you can get an ambulance if you've been injured in the attack? 

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

6 hours ago, Spartacus said:

Just because some people don't see value in an object, doesn't mean others don't.

"Have nothing on your street that is neither useful nor beautiful".

I don't know how useful the phone box is, but it ia very ugly, usually has litter in it, and stinks of pee.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/apr/28/last-phone-boxes-bt-payphones-uk