Red telephone box set to be turned into cafe

A disused red telephone box outside a central Brighton park is set to be turned into a cafe.

Adam and William Armstrong want to install a roll-in unit in the kiosk in Dyke Road, opposite the junction of Church Street and next to St Nicholas Rest Garden.

And they say they will “fully maintain” the box, with no obvious alterations to its external appearance.

The pair has submitted a planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council, which says: “The phone boxes are both a great piece of engineering and architecture.

“Our aim is to redefine their usage to suit the modern day need and requirements without compromising there compromising their external appearance on the street scene.

“The concept of a public phone box is now dated with the majority of people now owning a mobile phone.

“The statement provided by BT outlines that they are only prepared to maintain to a minimum standard.

“The proposal is to fully maintain the phone box and not alter the external appearance in any way. The internal phone and associated equipment will be removed back to the original shell.

“The internal unit will just roll in and out of the kiosk on small in-built rollers. There will be no need for any kind of bracket or fixing.

“The unit is completely self-contained, enabling it to be installed and removed within minutes.

“The kiosk will be serviced every day in respect of dry stock, water and sellable goods, in conjunction with the delivery of goods and waste removal will be part of the same reverse process.

“The unit will be run within normal business hours and in accordance with all health and safety, licensing and hygiene requirements.

“We are planning a maintenance program that would see the kiosks refurbished every two years. The program would entail a complete overhaul, to include all exterior paint and associated works.

“We have considered the aspect of vandalism and are planning to paint the glazing to match the kiosk in the event the kiosk being graffitied it can be easily covered.

“It is of the utmost importance this unit is kept safe and secure to retain its new-found pristine presence within the community.”

If approved, the kiosk would be the second to be converted into a cafe in Brighton. Another kiosk in New Street was converted into the Dialling In Kiosk, but the company which ran it went into liquidation in 2021.