A planning inspector has upheld a developer’s appeal to keep the controversial 88-inch TV advertising screen it erected without permission next to a busy crossroads in Bath.
The screen installed at the Bath Press site | Photo © Bath Echo
Last August, we reported that City & Country had been refused retrospective advertising consent for the screen on top of the sales suite at the Bath Press site, which is being redeveloped for housing.
Bath & North East Somerset Council officers said it could pose a hazard for motorists at the junction where Windsor Bridge Road, Brook Road and Lower Bristol Road converge.
They also said the backlit changing video and imagery was “at odds” with historic architecture nearby and “would not reflect high quality and traditional Georgian townscape, the landscape setting of the city or the carefully managed nature of the overall urban environment.” The impact on nearby homes was also a concern.
The developer lodged an appeal with the Secretary of State last October, and submitted a second advertisement consent application to the council which included some changes to reduce the screen’s potential impact.
The council rejected that application too on the grounds of public safety and amenity.
In granting permission for the TV to stay, the inspector said roadside advertisements are a common urban feature and although visible from many surrounding windows, as well as from the street, the TV screen is “small scale” in its overall context.
“Overall, I consider that the television display, illuminated and controlled as proposed, alone or cumulatively with other associated advertising, would have no adverse effect on the Bath World Heritage Sites and would avoid undue harm to the environmental amenity of the area surrounding the appeal site.”
They added: “I accept that this signalised junction generates a relatively complex range of vehicle stopping and turning movements, with several pedestrian and cycle crossing points.
“However, given the intensely urban surrounding environment and generally modest traffic speeds, I consider overall that the concentration of road users negotiating the junction is most likely to be focused on negotiating the junction in safety.
“I therefore judge that any degree of distraction due changing images on the disputed television display is unlikely to be significant.”
The inspector granted permission with conditions that between 4pm and 8am the advertisement will only display a static image to ensure an acceptable impact on road safety, and won’t exceed luminance of 400 candela per square metre.
