Five digital advertising screens offering free wi-fi, phone charging facilities, touchscreen maps and defibrillators could be coming to York city centre under new plans.
Plans from JCDecaux would see two communication hubs installed in Parliament Street along with ones in St Sampson’s Square, Davygate and in Piccadilly.
The hubs feature an 86in (218cm) screen to display adverts on one side with features including a 32in (81cm) touchscreen and public phone on the other.
JCDecaux stated hubs elsewhere had already been used for public information campaigns and ‘tap to donate’ charity fundraising drives while also providing life-saving equipment with their defibrillators.
Plans stated the hubs were designed to be a more up-to-date version of public phone boxes which have fallen out of use since mobile phones became widely available.
The hubs include a public phone which can make free calls to landline numbers and charities, along with a dedicated emergency services contact function.
The 32in touchscreen can display maps and can also be used by local authorities to communicate with the public.
Plans stated that the 32in touchscreens would default to a map of York city centre and also feature links to council services if the hubs get the go ahead.
Other facilities include a wireless charging shelf and a USB charging port, with all features powered by onboard solar panels.
Advertising revenue helps to fund the running of the hub’s features.
Calls for donations to a homelessness charity backed by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham were made using the touch screens on 17 Hubs in Manchester City Centre.
Donation points were fitted to 12 of them allowing people to give money at the hubs.
Greater Manchester Police have also used the larger advertising screen for public safety communications campaigns.
A total of 13 hubs have also been installed in Leeds city centre and they were used for around 624 hours in 2023, according to JCDecaux’s data.
Defibrillators across the company’s Hub network were used 400 times in two years.
The company stated thought had been given to the proposed locations in York and they were open to making changes if concerns are raised.