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| Above : I am pictured beside the box in question |
A new large-style utility box in the West End installed by BT Openreach has rightly incurred the wrath of local residents because, not only is it large and unsightly, it did not require planning permission to be installed.
The box – on a prominent site at the roundabout at the west end of Blackness Road at the roundabout with Glamis Road and Glamis Drive – is much larger than adjacent utility boxes and has been installed as part of BT’s “super broadband” installations. It is used to convert signals from copper wire cabling to fibre optic cabling. Residents have said they have nothing against the principle of improving broadband but question why cabling could not have been put underground or in smaller box casings.
It is concerning that the box is being placed on a prominent site without any need for planning approval. Having checked with planning officers, I am advised that these boxes will start springing up right across the city but only those in Conservation Areas will require to go through the planning process.
BT Openreach’s representatives have been willing to discuss the concerns with me but the bottom line is that the box won’t be moved and I can fully understand residents’ complaints about this obtrusive box on such a prominent site.
I have asked of BT Openreach :
a) For an assurance that these boxes be painted with anti-graffiti paint,
b) and that it reaches agreement with the City Council to ensure proper arrangements are in place for graffiti removal – this already happens in the case of Virgin cable TV boxes across Dundee.
I have also asked of City Council planning officers :
a) That the West End proposed boxes in Conservation Areas that do require planning permission be referred to committee for a decision (and not delegated to officers). Whilst each of these applications must be decided on their individual merits, it is important that they are democratically determined through the committee process.
b) That the council investigate ‘screening’ the box on the Blackness/Glamis roundabout by planting such as clematis or honeysuckle. Anything that could be done to screen the box here on such a prominent site in a residential area should be considered.