K&C stands firm over kiosk plans

31 May 2006

A Government inspector has backed Kensington & Chelsea’s refusal to grant planning permission for the placing of cash machine/payphone kiosks on its streets.
The Planning Inspectorate upheld the London borough’s rejection of Spectrum Interactive’s proposal to replace telephone boxes in five of its streets with the freestanding cash machine/payphones. It drew attention to Kensington & Chelsea’s unitary development plan policy that seeks to encourage good quality, unobtrusive design, and adhere to the authority’s streetscape guidance.
The decision stated that although the installations would be of a similar size, ‘the replacement structure would be solid… and appear as a noticeably more bulky feature in the streetscene than the present kiosks’. The external panels housing the cash dispenser and telephone equipment would result in ‘a fussy and complex appearance’.
Kensington & Chelsea’s stance that the units could increase congestion and parking in some locations was also backed. A vehicle would need to be parked for about 20 minutes within 10m of the unit proposed for Cromwell Road in Brompton, on a red route, but the nearest parking bay was some 30m away.
While Spectrum Interactive had pointed out in its appeal that there are other, bulkier structures on streets elsewhere in the borough – including a freestanding cash machine on Brompton Road, and public toilets on Kensington High Street, the inspector ‘did not have full information on the circumstances in which these developments took place’.
Cllr Daniel Moylan deputy leader of the council, said: ‘These decisions are warmly welcomed and show that our streets must be protected if they are to remain of high quality. We will continue to oppose plans that do not meet our high standards.’ A spokesman added that the authority’s view that the installations did not have permitted development rights because they were not primarily intended to be used as electronic telecommunications equipment had been vindicated.
The decision is likely to be scrutinised by highway authorities that have protested that the impact of the units in terms of traffic management and litter are greater than those of phone boxes, but have had no say in their placing (Surveyor, 8 September 2005). A spokesman for Spectrum Interactive was not available to comment on the decision as Surveyor went to press.

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