Camden calls the end to redundant phone boxes
Camden Council has successfully used its planning enforcement powers to require the removal of six redundant phone boxes in the Camden Town area.
The Council served breach of condition notices requiring their removal in March this year. This follows the successful removal of 19 phone boxes on Tottenham Court Road in 2023.
With the growth in mobile phone ownership, use of public telephone boxes has declined. Seldom used, many are now largely redundant with low call numbers and in a poor condition which often attracts vandalism and anti-social behaviour.
Redundant and poorly maintained phone boxes are a growing eyesore on many of our busiest streets.
We believe where they are no longer being used for their intended purpose, it is only right that they are removed, overcoming the issues of vandalism and anti-social behaviour and improving accessibility for pedestrians on our high streets.
We remain committed to protecting Camden’s cherished town centres and ensuring that outdated telecoms do not detract from the quality of our high streets. This is part of wider work to improve the public realm and ensure Camden remains a vibrant and welcoming place for residents, businesses and visitors.
We will continue to work proactively to identify unused or neglected telephone boxes and take appropriate action to seek their removal.
The six notices were issued to BT phone boxes, and the following five have now been removed
- EN25/0140 - pavement outside 18 Bayham Street
- EN25/0141 - pavement outside 88 Camden High Street
- EN25/0959 - pavement outside 88 Camden High Street
- EN25/0142 - pavement outside 99-101 Camden High Street
- EN25/0945 - pavement outside 99 -101 Camden High Street
The BT phone box on the pavement outside 10 Chalk Farm Road (EN25/0893) is expected to be removed in due course, following the removal of the other unauthorised phone boxes in the area. The Council continues to engage with BT regarding its removal.
Under Condition A.2 (2) of Part 24 Class A of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended), telecommunications apparatus must be removed as soon as reasonably practicable once it is no longer required for telecommunications purposes. The notices require BT to remove the public call boxes and repair the pavement.