A planning application has been submitted for a solar powered smart bench with advertisement panels to be placed outside The Larder delicatessen and Coral betting shop in Ladywell Village.
The smart bench will replace two existing older-style benches installed just five years ago as part of the Ladywell streetscape improvements.
The smart bench, which is powered by solar panels, collects air and noise pollution data, and offers charging facilities and wifi.
About 10 smart benches have already been installed in the borough – in Deptford, Sydenham and by the Clock Tower in Lewisham.
The planning application has been submitted by Strawberry Energy, a Serbian start-up based in London. It created the smart benches which it says are aimed at “improving urban living by making cities smarter, greener and more convenient to live in”.
Smart benches have already been installed in Southwark and Canary Wharf, and are present in 17 countries around the world.
Residents elsewhere in the borough have complained the benches add visual clutter, and are not in keeping with existing streetscapes. Others say the smart benches represent a privatisation of public spaces.
Retrospective planning application for the benches is being sought. Lewisham council expects to install 25 across the borough.
It is understood the smart benches are being installed free of charge to inner London councils, through London-wide sponsorship partnerships, similar to cycle hire schemes.