PLANS were discussed by Holywell Town Council on what could be done with the village’s ‘redundant’ telephone box.

At the monthly meeting, members of the council discussed a project which would see them join forces with rural development agency Cadwyn Clwyd to give the village’s telephone box, based outside the Post Office on the High Street, a new lease of life.

The Phone Box Project has had similar schemes launch across Flintshire in Gwaenysgor, Ysceifiog and Treuddyn which sees the iconic, but redundant, red telephone boxes converted into assets that benefit the modern community.

Cllr Ted Palmer, representing Central Holywell, said: “I think that this scheme would be well received and should also be welcomed by the town council members.

“There is another public phone box in the town not too far away and nowadays, with the majority of people having mobile phones in their pockets everywhere they go, these boxes are not as needed as they once were.”

The kiosks were originally designed by the famous architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott whose great works include Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral, Waterloo Bridge and Battersea Power Station.

By the 1980s there were over 80,000 of them around Britain before the rise of the mobile phone led to many becoming surplus to requirement.

Cllr Rosetta Dolphin, the town mayor, welcomed the proposed scheme and said the town

In Holywell, ideas were put forward that would benefit the community most.

Councillors mentioned the initial plans to include a defibrillator in the central local, however, this would mean moving the existing unit situated near Panton Place, to the side of Scott’s Jewellers, as the short distance between the two units would not be practical.

Instead, the council made suggestions of a tourist information centre being based in the phone box.

If you have any ideas about what the phone box could be used for, you can let the town council know by sending an email to holywelltown@holywell.wales or calling 01352 711757.