To Discuss potential ideas relating to the alternative uses of traditional red telephone boxes within Windsor.

The Community & Business Partnerships Manager stated hat there were approximately 3,600 phone boxes across the UK which had been identified by local communities for adoption. BT had carried out a study on what how often the phone booths were used and if they were not used, instead of removing the phone boxes, BT were allowing community groups to adopt them.

BT said that red kiosks were very iconic and can sell for up to £30,000. The adoption scheme had been going for a while and if you were a Local Authority, parish council or charity, you could apply to adopt a phone box which would then be sold for £1.

The Community & Business Partnerships Manager stated some uses for adopted phone boxes included being converted into libraries, commercial uses such as selling ice cream, some schools had adopted them and others were used to promote local landmarks. He added it was a simple process to adopt a phone kiosk, a form needed to be filled in online and BT would continue to maintain the electricity supply for the kiosk but, nothing else.

BT ran a local consultation where they identified 36 phone boxes within the Royal Borough which would be available for adoption. Some of the locations included Furness Way, Windsor Great Park, the junction of Alma and Springfield and the junction of Kings Road and Queen Anne’s Road.

Cllr Quick stated she had been contacted by regarding the phone box on Alma Road, they wanted to convert it into a Geo Cache location and also install a mini book swap. They were very keen to operate it. The Chairman suggested using the phone kiosks to house defibrillators.

The Community & Business Partnerships Manager confirmed that BT were selling some phone boxes to commercial companies and once a phone box was purchased, they could be used for almost any purpose. Cllr Bowden stated that some of the phone boxes were iconic and he did not want to lose them so it was a good idea to think of uses for them. The Windsor Town manager said he had seen some in other areas be turned into Wi-Fi zones and phone charging stations.

Susy Shearer suggested that some phone boxes could be maintained as phone boxes for those people who did not have a mobile phone. The Community & Business Partnerships Manager confirmed that BT owned the phone boxes and it was possible to object to them being sold. Some of the phones identified in the consultation had not been used at all. He added that BT took accident blackspots into account so that there would be a means of reaching the emergency services if an incident occurred. There was a mechanism in place to object to phone boxes being sold.

The Community & Business Partnerships Manager explained to Members that phone boxes came under planning regulations and so the appearance of the kiosks could not be changed without planning consent. There were a number of parish councils that wanted to buy their local phone boxes. Local Authorities and registered charities could also apply to buy them.

v  Action: The Community & Business Partnerships Manager to circulate the list of phone boxes available for purchase to members of the Windsor Town forum.