Four iconic red phone boxes are set to be transformed into mini-cafes.

The two disconnected boxes at the entrance to Brighton’s Palace Pier and a pair next to Pavilion Gardens in New Road are set for the makeover after planning applications were submitted.

The group behind the project, Kensington Gardens-based Thinking Outside The Box, has pledged to donate a cut of profits to the local homeless community.

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In a statement, as part of its application submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council, it said: “The iconic K6 red phone boxes are both a great piece of engineering and architecture.

“Our aim is to redefine their usage to suit the modern day need and requirements without compromising their external appearance on the street scene.

“Our aim is to use a percentage of any profit raised to support the local homeless community in and around the location of the kiosks to enhance not only their lives and wellbeing but also the surrounding area.”

The plans state the disused boxes will be transformed into “self-contained food and beverage kiosks”.

An internal unit will roll in and out, with no need for extensive work to the listed structure.

Staff would man them between 7am and 8pm each day, selling food and drinks.

The key theme of the scheme is charity, with a percentage of profits going to the local homeless community.

A planning application for the pair in New Road was lodged in April 2013.

Planning permission for the boxes, which were damaged in the great storm of 1987, was granted in September.

Plans for the Palace Pier boxes were submitted on January 3, with a decision expected by March 10.

A statement as part of the application said: “The concept of a public phone box is now dated, with the majority of people now owning a mobile phone.

“The new use of the phone box will maintain the iconic appearance but reinvent its use to be current in the 21st Century.”