Broadband legacy

As the government gathers business groups together for a "broadband summit" today there is growing concern that the infrastructure needed for a broadband revolution is causing needless damage to the street environment. Thousands of green street cabinets over five feet high are springing up across the country to connect the broadband network. BT's Openreach is already responsible for 88,000 cabinets and local civic societies report too many are being poorly located, inflexibly designed and made unnecessarily intrusive, even in our most sensitive conservation areas. The nation needs broadband, but does it have to be at the expense of our local streets – damaging views, impeding pushchairs and insulting the local environment? By engaging local communities in decisions over where cabinets are to be located and with a more positive approach to their design, Broadband Britain can look beautiful too. Tony Burton Director, Civic Voice