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15
Jun
BT appeals plan for digital street hub on Harrogate's Oxford Street
A telecommunications company has appealed a decision to refuse plans for a new street hub in Harrogate.
BT submitted plans to install the digital hub on Oxford Street opposite Halifax bank.
The hub would have a 75-inch, LCD advertising display screen, as well as free public Wi-Fi, free UK calls, USB charging and an emergency services button.
In its plans, BT said the hub would help to “significantly enhance the provision of local community communications facilities and services”.
However, North Yorkshire Council refused the plan on the grounds that the hub would be “intrusive and inappropriate”.
Now, the company has taken the decision to the government’s Planning Inspectorate, which deals with planning disputes.
In a statement, BT said the council’s reasons for refusal were “unreasonable” and “not based upon any evidence to support them”.
It said:
It has been demonstrated within this appeal that the current context of the area is unlikely to be significantly impacted by the introduction of the proposed street hub, nor would public safety be detrimentally impacted upon.
The appellant considers that the council’s reasons for refusing this application is unreasonable and not based upon any evidence to support them in terms of degree of impact if any at all when weighed against the myriad of public benefits.
A government planning inspector will make a decision on the plan at a later date.
The move comes as BT won an appeal against the council’s decision to refuse a digital street hub on Cheltenham Parade in March.
The authority argued that the hub would “introduce visual clutter” and “unrelated advertising”.
However, Andreea Spataru, a planning inspector, said in a decision notice that while she recognised the concerns over “visual clutter and unrelated advertising” there was a “commercial nature” to the area.
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