A Green Party Councillor has used the planning system to address the harm caused by installing digital advertising displays on busy city centre pavements.
In her objection to planning applications by the marketing company, City Ward Councillor, Ruth Mersereau, said,
“These screens/boards are to be situated in pavement space, and so we’re very concerned at any obstacles on the footway of key pedestrian routes in the city centre. We believe that owing to the siting, height, and bulk of the proposed installations, these would form overly conspicuous and obtrusive features that would have a significant adverse effect on visual amenity and cause material harm to the character and appearance of each area.
“The proposed displays will cause increasing conflict with pedestrian and/or cycle traffic as the city centre increases its footfall, especially in the context of the proposed increase in the city centre population in the next 15 years. Obstacles in footways and cycleways have recently been refused by the Council as the harm envisaged is not outweighed by the benefits and the proposal could therefore be contrary to several Unitary Development Plan Policies and the National Planning Policy Framework.
“These digital advertising screens significantly increase the number of bright, intrusive adverts local residents and road users are exposed to. This will have an adverse effect on road safety. The most recent research suggests there is a direct link between roadside advertisement and car crashes and that is especially the case for digital billboards. This research showed that roadside advertising can increase crash risk, particularly for those signs that have the capacity to frequently change. The main two reasons that make digital billboards more distracting are their brightness and the fast changing images, for example when transitioning from an ad to the next .
“In terms of the visual impact, the billboards would impose visually aggressive streetscapes upon commuters or people working in the area. This is an unacceptable detriment to the street scene in an area filled with heritage structures, and in a key destination shopping/hospitality area.
“The consumption of an electronic billboard such as those proposed is estimated to be 63kwh, or the same as six average UK homes. Advertising itself contributes massively to our collective CO2 emissions, and promotes unhealthy products, damaging wellbeing. Permitting these boards would be in direct opposition to Sheffield’s declaration of a climate emergency.
“Residents and visitors will be exposed to harmful advertising content. Although living near digital advertising screens has an impact on people who live near them, there does not appear to be any consultation with nearby residents and businesses regarding these planning applications.
“Sheffield already has 926 outdoor advertising sites (billboards, bus shelter ads and free-standing advertising screens). Research has shown that these are more concentrated in lower income and more polluted areas, with 32% of outdoor ads in Sheffield located in the most deprived decile.
Allowing more digital advertising screens into Sheffield risks further compounding existing inequalities in health and wealth.”
Councillor Mersereau had specific comments relating to the proposals for boards at 3 locations:
108 Pinstone St
“This proposal would require digging up a newly-created piece of paving in the Heart of the City area, where substantial investment has been made in creating a well-designed, high quality public realm. The addition of this advertising display would seem particularly out of place. It would be helpful to obtain comments from the Heart of the City team”
45 Division St
“This is outside Star House at 43 Division St, the home of Sheffield Futures and therefore disproportionately affecting children and young people.”
Outside Lidl, High St
“This is an area of very high footfall and there is already substantial conflict in this area, all the more so because it is a de facto link for cycle routes through a congested part of the city centre. It is also a hotspot for ASB and regular police intervention. Obstacles to sight lines will risk making it harder to police the area.”
References
1) Driver attention is captured by roadside advertising signs Driver attention is captured by roadside advertising signs (diva-portal.org)
2) Impact of digital advertising The impact of road advertising signs on driver behaviour and implications for road safety: A critical systematic review – ScienceDirect
3) Brightness of signs distracts drivers The impact of the luminance, size and location of LED billboards on drivers’ visual performance-Laboratory tests – PubMed (nih.gov)
4) Energy use of digital display boards Advertised Emissions — Purpose Disruptors
