CORNWALL’S capital city will become home to a number of 8ft high ‘smart hub’ digital screens despite concerns they will clutter the streets, aren’t in keeping or needed and will add to the “bombardment” of screens in the modern age.

The Urban Innovation Company applied to Cornwall Council to install and operate Pulse Smart Hubs at seven locations in Truro – Old Bridge Street, City Road, Newquay Road, Pydar Street, Lemon Quay, Station Road and Treyew Road.

The council recommended approval but two Truro councillors called for the application to be discussed by the central area planning committee on Monday, September 22 due to concerns about them being out of character and harmful to the setting of the Truro Conservation Area and the city’s historic buildings.

Five hubs were removed from the application (Boscawen Street, Charles Street, Green Street, River Street and Victoria Square) following concerns raised by Historic England, which is happy with the remaining locations.

The smart hubs feature two large digital screens offering a range of features, including advertising (including free community advertising), public WI-FI, free phone calls, phone charging, and emergency health support including a built-in defibrillator and nasal medicine used for the treatment of drug overdoses.

Ollie Smith, managing director of the Pulse Smart Hubs company, said 27 hubs had and were being rolled out in a pilot scheme in Belfast with over 85 installations planned next year, including in Newquay, Tiverton, Newton Abbot, Cullompton, Okehampton and Bideford.

He said the hubs are funded by advertising revenue, meaning they are free for use by residents and taxpayers. “Unlike outdated phone boxes or advertising panels, they provide core services such as free phone calls and free wi-fi with innovations including interactive mapping, digital noticeboards and a minimum of 5% display time to local stakeholders to use completely free of charge,” added Mr Smith, who also highlighted their lifesaving equipment.

He added that national advice suggests there should be a defibrillator available per 1,000 people. “Yet only ten are currently registered in Truro with reduced access to seven of them. Bringing our hubs to the area is therefore significant.” Mr Smith said each location was carefully chosen from a highways point of view to avoid any safety concerns and meets regulations.

Cllr Steven Webb (Truro Moresk and Trehaverne, Liberal Democrat) said he didn’t think the hubs were in keeping with Truro and were out of character with the conservation area, but admitted he was less alarmed than he was after the removal of some of the units, a design change and a condition about maintenance. “I still do not love the look – big lit screens in the historic centre feel like giant smartphones on our streets. That sits uneasy with me, but on balance the public benefits may now carry more weight than before.”

Cllr Loic Rich (Truro Tregolls, Independent) was the other city councillor to raise concerns. He said: “They are huge – they’re taller than people. It’s not about whether it’s in keeping with the conservation area. It’s about health and wellbeing – we’re bombarded with advertising, everybody has a smartphone. Having stuff on the street blaring right in your face, I just don’t think it’s healthy.

“I’m not saying it will be the end of the world if these things go into Truro, I just think they’re not needed. I’m not quite convinced by the purported benefits to the community. There are defibrillators in Truro and ambulances will carry all those devices anyway. Most people if they see someone hurt in the street will get their phone and dial 999. I don’t think they’ll run and try and fiddle around with this thing.”

The meeting heard that only three people had objected to the scheme on the council’s planning portal. Cllr Martyn Alvey (Feock & Kea, Conservative) said: “I take into consideration Cllr Rich’s concerns about advertising, but that is the world we’re in. The benefits of these units outweigh the extra advertising.” He believed the visual intrusion was no worse than a phone box.

Cllr Dulcie Tudor (Threemilestone and Chacewater, Independent) said she had supported them in her division after BT took away public phone boxes “and at the time domestic abuse charities raised the alarm, saying if anyone was experiencing trouble there were no phone boxes, so I saw that as a real benefit of these in enhancing women’s safety.”

However, Cllr Louise Blackman (Perranporth, Reform UK) was “totally opposed” to them. “I think they’re horrible. I don’t think there’s any justification for having them. I think they fight with everything around them. I agree that people will reach for their phone – they won’t go running for one of these terminals. They clutter the streets.”

A vote to approve was won by six votes in favour, four against and no abstentions.