New 'street hubs' offering wi-fi and free phone calls set to be installed in Stafford

A phone box near Caffe Nero in Gaolgate Street will be replaced with one of the hubs if plans are approved by Stafford Borough Council.

Telecommunications firm BT is also proposing to install two street hubs in Greengate Street, near Starbucks and Superdrug.

The facilities will offer services including ultra-fast public Wi-Fi, a direct 999 call button for emergencies, rapid device charging and they can display community and emergency awareness messages, as well as offering more traditional phone call facilities.

A product statement submitted as part of the planning applications to Stafford Borough Council said: “Street Hubs are free to use, fully accessible community assets connecting and improving local streets in urban areas. At no cost to taxpayers or end users, Street Hubs provide communities with an unprecedented suite of essential urban tools

“With a footprint of just 0.42m2 Street Hubs are smaller than comparable street furniture, and their installation facilitates and funds the removal of up to two existing BT payphone kiosks, giving back 1.58m for each installation. The screens display content at 10-second intervals, both the commercial content that funds the service as well as a wide range of local community and council content.

“Every Street Hub includes a direct 999 call button that automatically shares its location with the authorities, improving safety in an area and helping in the reporting of crime and disorder. A two-push approach reduces the chance of accidental calls, with a voice prompting users to push the button a second time to confirm.

“Street Hubs allow users to make free calls using two different methods. Calls aren’t time-limited, but almost all have lasted no more than a few minutes as people use them to call friends, family, local services, taxis, etc.”

An antisocial behaviour management plan has also been submitted to the council giving details of how potential misuse of the hubs can be dealt with.

The plan said: “Working with local stakeholders has already led to significant technical and process advances that further help each Street Hub contribute positively to the local area. A small number of locations drew attention to local drug issues, with those involved misusing free call services.

“Following this we invested significantly in developing call restriction capabilities. These were first used to prevent calls to mobiles on select Street Hubs in problem areas – identified with the help of police and council community safety teams.

“We take our responsibility towards community wellbeing and anti-social behaviour seriously. Where possible we address any concerns before (or as part of) the planning application process which every Street Hub must go through.

“Unfortunately this is not always possible, and pre-existing or emerging concerns around misuse may need to be addressed once a Street Hub is active, if not picked up by the automatic anti-social call restriction technology. In deciding the best course of action, advice from police, other emergency services and local authorities will always take precedence, followed by feedback from other government bodies and input from residents and businesses.

“Each Street Hub is remotely monitored for service compliance 24 hours a day seven days a week, and physically inspected and cleaned at least every two weeks. As such, any issues are likely to be quickly reported to us directly.”