Openreach cabinets

Cabinet art 

Our cabinets are an important part of our network. They house critical national infrastructure that keeps the UK connected.

Openreach's cabinet art programme is currently closed, and we are not accepting new applicants at this time.

When our cabinet art programme reopens you will find all information available on our policy and how to apply on this page.

If a cabinet is graffitied or damaged? 

If one of our cabinets is graffitied or damaged then please let us know via our damage reporting process and we'll arrange for the cabinet to be painted back to green.

My approval period is ending? 

The approval for each design will be in place for two years from the date the agreement is signed. After that, you can apply to extend permission for a further two years by responding to your approval email. During that period, we need you to keep the artwork in good condition, so it doesn’t become tired or unsafe. And we always maintain the right to repaint the cabinet if that's needed.

Cabinet art complaint

We'll always consider complaints about cabinet artwork from elected officials on behalf of the community they represent, for example a local councillor or MP, and we’ll consider issues raised by members of the public – particularly if it relates to anything offensive or a breach of the guidelines above. Please follow our  damage reporting process if you wish to report a complaint.

What's not a complaint?

A subjective or personal opinion on a piece of artwork which an individual takes exception to. 

My artwork has been removed

Your artwork may be removed if the artwork does not follow our cabinet art policy guidelines detailed below or if the cabinet is subjected to any vandalism or damage, or any complaints are made against the artwork itself.

Cabinet art policy 

Below outlines our guidelines on painting Openreach cabinets 

• The artwork needs to be relevant to, and for the benefit of, the local community so your design should reflect that either through the subject matter or style.
• We don't want to be divisive, so designs can't include anything offensive or anything which could be seen (even inadvertently) as offensive. This includes anything political, allegiances to specific sporting teams, or anything with a religious context.
• To reduce the chance of vandalism or deterioration, we need you to paint directly onto the cabinet with weather-proof paint. We can't have anything that's applied indirectly, like stickers, photographs, or adhesive vinyl.
• The design can't be unduly distracting to passing traffic or cause a health and safety risk to the public and, due to local planning rules, we can’t allow any third-party advertising or promotion. This covers both commercial advertising as well as arts, charitable and community projects, and it includes social media handles and web addresses. 
• If your artwork is graffitied or defaced and you don't want to redo your artwork, please let us know via our damage reporting process and we'll arrange for the cabinet to be painted back to green. Our cabinets are crucial for serving our customers so maintaining their operational integrity is vital. We follow a strict set of health and safety guidelines, so the cabinet number always needs to be visible in the right position, and the vents and doors can't be blocked. 
• We’re unlikely to grant permission for cabinets with existing Openreach marketing materials on them, and we reserve the right to paint our cabinets if we need use them for marketing in the future.
• Complaints about graffiti or anything offensive will always be taken seriously and acted upon.