01-05-2025
- General
- Powys County Times
All eyes on decision to move Newtown's iconic red phone box
Moving Newtown's last remaining red phone box would improve the appearance of an historic town centre building, a report has found.
The disused Grade II-listed telephone kiosk outside The Exchange bar and Regent cinema near Broad Street has been out of use for several years and no longer contains a telephone or coin box.
Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council has been discussing for several years about moving the callbox to High Street and repurpose it as a community asset, such as artwork or storing a defibrillator, allowing it to be more widely appreciated, but no final decision has been made.
READ MORE | Popular Newtown pub wants to use historic phone box as photo booth
A heritage impact assessment took place earlier this year by Carmarthenshire-based archaeologists Jenny Hall and Paul Sambrook, of Trysor, which found that the relocation of the phone box would improve the appearance of the former Flannel Exchange, describing it as "incongruous" in its current location, and that its small-scale is "out of proportion" for the building.
"Overall, this report finds that when all impacts associated with removing the telephone kiosk and placing it in a busier part of Newtown are considered, that will on balance have a low positive impact,' Trysor told the town council.
"Although the telephone kiosk will be in a new location, it does not have strong links with its current location, and it will be better managed with a new purpose, which will ensure it survives and will be appreciated and understood by many more people."
Councillors will discuss the report at a meeting on Monday and a letter from a member of the public who suggested moving the phone box to High Street near the former Post Office "so we have memories of days gone by and two fine pieces of that age" and that it would be "more central to the town centre so that not only local and visitors can see them".
