British Telecom has placed a notice on the red telephone box in the village advising that it is going to be removed through lack of use. Stratton Parish Council would like to find out the views of residents regarding the box’s removal to inform their discussions at the next parish meeting.
To keep a ‘working’ telephone box, the Parish Council will need to make representation to West Dorset District Council (WDDC), who can exercise a veto on removing it until further consultation has taken place. To take this action it is necessary to consult with local residents to gain their views, comments and reasons why they feel the ‘working’ box should not be removed.
Many towns and villages that lose the use of a public telephone purchase the ‘empty’ box and use it for other community purposes. The Parish Council would also like to gauge the views and opinions of residents should the ‘working’ element of the telephone box be removed and the box bought and become the property of the village. This will obviously incur expenditure for electricity, maintenance etc. and management of whatever the empty box is used for and will need to be considered when taking any decision.
WE NEED YOUR VIEWS
Please contact Stratton Parish Council, either by letter, commenting on the Stratton Parish Council Facebook page or email: strattonpc@gmail.com with your opinion on retaining a working telephone and/or retention of the ‘non-working’ box. It would be helpful to receive ideas of what an ‘empty’ box might be used for.