I have no problem with phone PPR, but then I'm pretty low on experience and currency, so I prefer to hear about odd procedures and warnings on the ground first. To be fair, most PPR allows PPR by radio (given by the fact that airfields that require PPR by phone say so very clearly).
Many UK airfields are constantly under threat from councils and re-developers, and most have some amount of noise abatement procedures and/or movement limits (even larger airfields) to keep the neighbours happy - PPR is the easiest way to disseminate the information early on.