Plans to introduce "lifesaving equipment" in a prominent city centre location have been turned down by civic chiefs, who said it would be "unduly prominent". 

The Urban Innovation Company (UIC) applied to Oxford City Council for permission to construct a Pulse Smart Hub in Hythe Bridge Street. 

UIC has already launched what it says is the "successful" initiative in Belfast which includes a free-standing structure featuring a fully accessible interactive tablet along with larger digital display screens on two sides.

Pulse Smart Hubs are free to councils, the public and taxpayer.

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UIC says it pays for the installation, operation and ongoing maintenance of the Hubs through paid-for advertising on the main screens.

However, the city council refused the scheme using delegated powers on September 26. 

In their report, planning officers said: “The proposed freestanding 'multifunction hub' by virtue of its siting, scale, size, materials digital display, illumination and overall design and appearance would result in a harmful and discordant feature that would be an unduly prominent and dominant structure that would detract from the visual amenity of the area.

"The proposal would introduce a visually incongruous addition and unacceptable amount of clutter to the street scene and public realm which would further be exacerbated when combined with other street furniture. 

“The 2.54 metre high internally illuminated freestanding 'Smart Hub', by virtue of its height, width and bulky form as well as its illumination, overall appearance and the changing of images, would be a highly prominent feature that would be a visually distracting feature to all road users, obstructing visibility and traffic flows.

"This together would add to the level of street clutter in this location and would have a detrimental impact on pedestrian mobility in an area of heavy footfall and therefore reduce equal access to and the quality of the public realm.”

The applicant described the uses of the hubs in the planning papers which said: "In essence the Pulse Smart Hubs are redefining the role of the quintessentially and now largely redundant British payphone or telephone kiosk network to bridge the digital divide to make people better connected and feel safer in their community.

"Currently communication through our towns and cities is erratic, inconsistent and unreliable. This impacts not only the individual but also the wider community.

"UIC is the only community-first smart street furniture provider in the UK, that delivers communication, connectivity, and lifesaving equipment specifically tailored to the local areas we serve."

The applicant added: "The phone box has not been installed, because it is massively outdated technology and no longer serves the original purpose for the community, and the prior approval has now expired."