‘Tiniest’ charity shop in Norfolk plan for red phone box

Plans have been submitted to convert one of the Grade II listed telephone kiosks in Norwich's Tombland into a tiny retail unit selling secondhand clothing and items.

The plan would see side of phone kiosk slide out to create clothing rails (Image: Redhead Architects)

It is the latest in a series of novel ideas for the pair of disconnected traditional boxes which are no longer needed to make calls.

The adjacent vintage box was previously occupied by Simply Cactus, which sold houseplants and specialist cacti.

Permission has since been granted to convert it into a mini coffee shop.

Earlier this week a local real ale delivery service, Beer Hatch, expressed an interest in turning one as a small shop.

One of the iconic Tombland phone boxes was previously used to sell cactus (Image: Archant)

The latest quirky plan says converting the second box into a charity retail kiosk with proceeds going to local charity Sibling Support would mean it has a “new lease of life”.

The application to Norwich City Council proposes reverse hanging the kiosk door and making changes to allow one side to slide in and out to create display rails to sell clothing.

When not in use it would slide back returning the kiosk to its original appearance.

The shop would raise funds for charity Sibling Support (Image: Redhead Architects)

The kiosk’s listed status means “careful consideration has been given to any proposed changes to the box, ensuring no significant harm will be caused to the heritage asset by the proposal”, adds the plan.

Sibling Support provides help to cope with the death of a brother or sister and it says extra funding from the shop would allow the charity to increase its reach and provide enhanced support.

A spokesman for the charity said the plan was at an early stage and would need both planning approval and permission from BT for the box to be decommissioned.

Many of the iconic K6 red phone boxes, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, are now listed (Image: Archant)

The K6 red phone box, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is one of Britain’s most recognisable pieces of industrial design.

Around 60,000 were installed between 1936 and 1968 and over 3,000 are now protected by Historic England.

Now largely redundant thanks to the advent of the mobile phone, BT has been finding new uses including offering them for community use which has seen examples turned into everything from cake shops to mini museums and even tiny nightclubs.