OLD and unused telephone boxes outside a shopping centre are set to be fashioned into florists, coffee kiosks and stalls for pop-up markets

The Market Place has been given the go ahead to convert four listed telephone boxes as part of its plans to “animate” its eastern terrace.

The shopping centre also plans to launch a “Midsummer Market” for small independent local food, home producers and quirky street food vendors.

This comes as the Market Place announced it will re-open on June 15 with a new one-way system and hand sanitiser stations around the shopping centre.

A spokesman said: “We are re-energising the centre and the patio.

We are planning for the listed telephone boxes outside the Market Place to be incorporated into pop-up stalls and retail kiosks in the near future.

“We are keen to assist local entrepreneurial talent and will possibly be hosting a charity young talent cupcake stall.

“Our aim is, in line with government legislation, to establish space to provide pop up stalls and a regular mid-week and weekend retail outlet for traders.”

The four telephone boxes are grade-listed classic K6 telephone boxes as designed by Sir Gilbert Scott in 1935 but it is not known how old they are.

It is understood the telephone boxes were relocated from various locations in the town centre to form a group on the terrace during the development of the shopping centre in the 1980s.

They have been redundant for approximately five years and the telephone equipment has cut off from BT cabling.

Market Place wants to use the telephone boxes as part of its strategy to “animate” the eastern terrace with informal kiosks, stalls and pop-up retail.

Work to the telephone boxes will include removing all redundant equipment, shelving and signage, restoring or replacing the rear black wooden panel for new fittings and installing new fixtures for retail such as shelving, lockable cupboards, small wash hand basins and electrical sockets.

Examples of the kind of users the shopping centre will be targeting to occupy the telephone boxes listed in the plans are florists, coffee kiosks, mobile repair kiosks, internet enabled work stations and book or local arts and crafts stalls.