A Broadland village's plans to buy its iconic red phone box for a pound from BT looks set to be a ringing success.South Walsham has saved its red kiosk from the scrapheap after parish councillors agreed to buy it for a quid and turn it into a new-look village green feature.
A Broadland village's plans to buy its iconic red phone box for a pound from BT looks set to be a ringing success.
South Walsham has saved its red kiosk from the scrapheap after parish councillors agreed to buy it for a quid and turn it into a new-look village green feature.
Although the red box will no longer be making any calls, it is sure to continue to engage villagers' interest from the spring when it will be decorated and repainted as part of plans to spruce up the village green.
The decision to move the Panxworth Road box to the green is part of BT's Adopt-a-Kiosk national scheme.
BT set up the adoption initiative earlier this year after it backtracked on plans to remove hundreds of loss- making old boxes - known as K6 or Jubilee Kiosks - across the country.
The telecommunications giant had wanted to remove the South Walsham box because fewer than 20 calls were made from it in the last year.
But following villagers' reaction to the removal plans, parish councillors have agreed to buy it for a pound and pay a �500 removal fee for the village green relocation.
The South Walsham adoption approval means that at least a dozen parish or town councils in Norfolk have decided to buy or are looking at adopting their traditional-style boxes, including Martham, Sheringham and Woodbastwick.
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