London,
17
March
2026
|
11:57
Europe/London

Camden steps up action against phone box blight

88 Camden High Street
A redundant and poorly maintained phone box on Camden High Street
10 Chalk Farm Road
A redundant and poorly maintained phone box on Chalk Farm Road
99-101 Camden High Street
A redundant and poorly maintained phone box on Camden High Street
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Camden Council is taking further action to tackle the growing problem of redundant and poorly maintained public call boxes in the borough, on this occasion in Camden Town.

With the growth in mobile phone ownership, use of public telephone kiosks 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.

This follows the successful removal of 19 phone boxes on Tottenham Court Road in 2023.

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Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet Member for Planning and a Sustainable Camden

Redundant and poorly maintained phone boxes are a growing eyesore on many of our busiest streets. Where they are no longer being used for their intended purpose, it is only right that they are removed.

By issuing six notices in the Camden Town area, we are taking clear and proportionate action to tackle street clutter, improve the look and feel of our public spaces, and make our streets safer and easier to navigate.

We are committed to protecting the character of Camden’s cherished town centres and ensuring that outdated telecoms do not detract from the quality of our high streets. This is part of our wider work to address neglected street furniture and ensure Camden remains a vibrant and welcoming place for residents, businesses and visitors.

Councillor Adam Harrison, Cabinet Member for Planning and a Sustainable Camden
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We will continue to work proactively to identify unused or neglected call boxes and take appropriate action where necessary to improve the borough’s streets and public realm.

 

The six notices have been issued to the following BT phone boxes:

  • EN25/0893 - pavement outside 10 Chalk Farm Road
  • 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

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.