Plans have been submitted to introduce a BT Street Hub Unit in Burnham-On-Sea, breathing new life into a traditional phone box site outside the B&M store in Pier Street.
The proposed Street Hub would allow passers-by to connect to free Wi-Fi, charge their devices, make free calls and access local information.
A spokesperson for BT said: “In today’s digitally enabled world, many phone boxes are sitting unused making them prime sites for anti-social behaviour and vandalism.”
“Following the success of our Street Hub programme where we brought free digital services to high streets across the UK, we’re further transforming our legacy payphones into state-of-the-art, fibre-connected digital community hubs by continuing our rollout.”
“Not only does this remove old payphones, freeing-up space and reducing anti-social behaviour, but each Street Hub gives entire communities access to an unprecedented suite of essential free services.”
“It’s also a platform for future technologies – air quality monitoring, emergency messaging, 4G/5G mobile coverage and more.”
“Wherever a Street Hub is installed we work with local stakeholders like councils and the police to ensure they’re a positive contribution to the area through onscreen messages. We’re committed to addressing the few users in limited locations who abuse this service.”
The unit features HD displays on either side, which BT says will be used for advertising while also acting as a community notice board for events and information for residents.
Street Hubs are free to use and fully accessible, powered by 100% renewable carbon-free energy. They are inspected weekly, cleaned at least every two weeks, and monitored 24/7.
BT says the hubs connect communities to the fastest free public Wi-Fi service in the UK, offering speeds of up to 1Gbps within 150 metres. Full fibre connectivity enables speeds more than 13 times faster than standard fixed line home broadband.
Since June 2017, over 900 Streets Hubs have gone live in cities throughout the UK, connecting over a million unique devices to Wi-Fi every month, with tens of thousands of free calls each week.”
The Burnham-On-Sea planning application – ref 11/25/00106 – is currently being considered by Somerset Council with feedback welcomed until January 2nd, 2026.
