Removal of BT Telephone Kiosks
Dover District Council has been asked to provide feedback to BT on BT’s proposal to remove three Telephone Kiosks within the Dover District.
With that in mind the Council would like to get feedback from local communities about the proposals. That community feedback can then be incorporated into the Council’s response to BT.
Why do BT want to remove Payphones?
Overall use of payphones has declined by over 90% in the last decade and the need to provide payphones for use in emergency situations is diminishing all the time, with at least 98% of the UK having mobile coverage. This is important because as long as there is mobile network coverage, it’s possible to call the emergency services, even when there is no coverage from your own mobile network provider.
How can a community keep a red phone box?
This is a great opportunity for local communities, councils and charities, to adopt their red phone box and make it an asset for everyone to enjoy. People across the country are using them for everything from defibrillators to foodbanks. It’s really simple to do and costs just £1 - http://bt.com/adopt - If you would like to Adopt please ensure you include full contact details on the below comments form.
BT requested that Dover District Council consult on the below Telephone Kiosks, and this consultation ran from 24th July to 24th August 2023. DDC has reviewed all comments received and is now consulting on its decisions and proposed feedback to BT.
Members of the public have until 5pm on 5th October 2023 to either ‘Accept’ or ‘Object’ to the Council’s decisions, and following this consultation feedback and all the responses received will be provided to BT.
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Kiosks proposed for removal by BT with DDC Decisions
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Kiosk Name
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DDC Proposed Decision
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DDC Reason
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O/S POST OFFICE PCO1 UPPER STREET KINGSDOWN DEAL
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Object to removal of kiosk. No objection to removal of telephony equipment
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Kingsdown Parish Council, residents and Senior Heritage Officer objected to the removal of the kiosk, which the PC have expressed a wish to adopt. The kiosk should therefore be retained.
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JCT SANDOWN RD PCO1 GODWYN ROAD, DEAL
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No objection to removal of kiosk or telephony equipment
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Deal Town Council agreed to removal of kiosk and telephony equipment due to the lack of usage.
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JCN ARCHERS COURT RD PCO1 CRANLEIGH DRIVE WHITFIELD DOVER
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Object to removal of kiosk and telephony equipment
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Whitfield Parish Council objected to the removal of the telephone due to its proximity to the new school site and busy Archers Court Road where the PC is often made aware of speeding traffic. The phone should therefore be retained to be available for use in case of an emergency.
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A Copy of the BT notice can be found Here.
Please Click Here to respond to the survey via the Council's consultation portal. If you wish to comment on multiple Telephone Kiosks please complete individual surveys.
Comments from the previous consultation stage which ran from 24 July to 24 August 2023 can be viewed in this spreadsheet.
For Further information please contact:
PlanningPolicy@DOVER.GOV.UK
01304 872244