An application to install a six metre wide digital advertising billboard by a petrol station, initially refused by the local council, has seen developers appeal to the Planning Inspectorate in an attempt to get the screen allowed.
The forecourt in question is on Wincheap, a busy but historic road in Canterbury, Kent, that sits in a Conservation Area. Wildstone Capital, which buys and rents property for outdoor advertising, is seeking to replace an existing metre-high price information sign for the petrol station with the billboard. The digital screen would measure six metres wide by three metres high, and would be raised two metres off the ground; it would be capable of circling through one advertisement every 10 seconds.
Canterbury City Council turned down the application in March this year after ruling it would be a “prominent and intrusive form of development” that would “fail to preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area and the architectural significance and setting of listed buildings”.
Public comments on the plans include from one resident calling the billboard an “ugly and distracting sign” that would “ruin the character” of the historic area, while another deemed it a “grotesque obscurity” that would “deface” the area. Concerns were also raised about the sign distracting drivers, while some objected on the grounds that it would increase light pollution, particularly for nearby homes.
Wildstone is nonetheless appealing the council’s judgement via agents Carter Jonas. The appeal refers to the sign as a “minor development in an entirely appropriate and established location for advertisements”, and argues that the council did not work “proactively” with the applicants. The agents also say “the application was not fully considered on its merits and positive aspects of the scheme were not taken into consideration”.
The 48-page appeal document was lodged with the Planning Inspectorate in April. Appeal decisions typically take six months or so to be reached.
