A new ‘digi’ street hub – offering ultrafast wi-fi, small cell technology and rapid charge ports for public use – is being planned at the entrance to the Mall in Armagh.
It would be located on the wide footpath opposite Armagh Gaol.
And the new facility – which would comprise 75-inch LCD advertising displays on either side – would see the scrapping of an existing phone kiosk and poster panel display on the footpath directly outside the former women’s prison.
Two applications seeking approval – one of them for advertising consent – have been lodged by BT with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council for consideration.
A supporting statement by Gravis Planning points to the need for updated technology.
“The roll-out of proposed street hubs will improve the local street scene by removing legacy payphones that are usually redundant, outdated and underused, giving back valuable pavement space,” it explains.
The site is “located on a wide pedestrian verge, landscaped with street furniture” and to the north of Gaol Square, outside the entrance gates to the Mall.
The statement adds: “This relocation was considered appropriate given the hub would be on a wider section of footpath and in line with existing street furniture, giving back valuable pavement space, reducing clutter and blending with the environment.
“Moreover, the proposed location would be sympathetically sited further from the Grade B+ and Grade B listed buildings which line the south of Gaol Square.
“The site relates to an existing landscaped pedestrian footpath and so comprises previously developed lands.”
The proposal will “provide replacement infrastructure to facilitate the functionality and enhance retail offerings in Armagh town centre and its commercial core” and is deemed to be in line with policy requirements under the Armagh Area Plan 2024.
The street hub, the statement advises, will “blend well with the surrounding environment and will not detract from the setting of the nearby heritage assets”.
And it continues: “The Armagh Conservation Area Plan Design Guide 1992 states that The Mall Area including Gaol Square, St Mark’s Churchyard and College Hill provides a unique landscaped feature. The area has long been the showpiece of the city and is the most impressive urban open space in Armagh and perhaps in Ulster.
“The area is flanked by many of the finest examples of Georgian and Victorian architecture in Armagh and contains many significant public buildings such as the Museum, Courthouse, Savings Bank and Gaol.
“The proposed street hub delivers upgraded telecommunications and digital connectivity infrastructure, replacing outdated payphone provision at an established roadside location. The hub is modest in scale, designed as a modern piece of street furniture, and is appropriately sited within a mixed-use urban environment.”
The new structure will have a “similar footprint” to the existing payphone kiosk and poster panel display to be removed and, to ensure there will be “no adverse impact on highway safety”, only static images will be displayed with “instantaneous transition between advertisements at an interval of no less than 10 seconds”.
Other safety measures – such as photocell light sensors to ensure acceptable luminance levels – will also be implemented.
ABC Council recently gave the go-ahead for a similar digi street hub to be installed in Banbridge town centre, on a corner site at Bridge Street, again replacing an existing payphone kiosk there.
Now the Armagh application will be advertised shortly and considered with a decision to follow in due course.
