PLANS have been submitted for a chain of ‘Street Hubs’ across York offering a range of digital information, advertising and free telephone calls.

After it submitted an application for the first such hub in Blossom Street, as the Press recently reported, telecoms giant BT now seeks eight more.

The locations are: St Helens square, Kings Square, St Sampsons Square, Parliament Street, Bishopthorpe Road, The Stonebow, St Maurices Road and fronting Museum Gardens.

At some locations, they would replace existing telephone boxes.

The hubs feature two 75-inch screens, and are likened to a 21st Century noticeboard and equivalent to the original K1 telephone kiosk, launched in 1921.

When plans for the Blossom Street hub were submitted, the application said: “This forms part of a strategic package of applications submitted to the City of York Council for a number of Street Hubs located throughout York’s existing streetscapes.

“It should be noted that these proposals for the installation of a number of Street Hubs will see with it the removal of existing, outdated and worndown BT payphones, at no extra cost to the council.”

Removing the payphones would help declutter streets and meet local and national government planning and digital policies, it continued.

The planning applications submitted for each of the hubs said modern cities need digital connectivity for their citizens and these hubs would provide this. But so they could be provided free, advertisements on the units were needed to fund this.

“These screens will display content at 10-second intervals, including commercial content that funds the service, as well as a wide range of local community and council content.”

Some of the content would be ring-fenced for community content, provided by the council and community. This would amount to 5 per cent or 876 hours a unit or 438 hours per screen.

Such local information could include telling residents and visitors about local services, local events and news, as well as warnings, public notices, maps and directions to visitors. The hubs can also monitor air quality, to help councils with their emissions policies.

Street Hubs would provide also news content, in association with Global, who operate the LBC radio Station, amid other networks.

The applications added: “The proposed advertisements on either side of the freestanding Street Hub units will result in an enhancement of the public realm by removing existing uncontrolled advertisements on existing BT payphones and replacing them within a single Street Hub of a sleek modern and innovative design, displaying advertisements of a modern appearance in keeping with its location.

“The Street Hub has added benefits of free Wi-Fi connectivity and other valuable services to tourists and recreational users, thereby encouraging greater use of the city’s streetscapes as part of the wider digital connectivity expected in modern cities.”