Proposals from an advertising firm to install a 6m by 3m digital billboard by an MFG forecourt in Cumbria have been refused over safety concerns.
Wildstone has a 25-year deal with MFG to roll out “hundreds” of ad boards at the latter’s forecourts, but planning officers often fail to see eye-to-eye with the companies’ projects.
The Cumbrian case centres around the effect a digital ad board would have on the character of the area, as well as worries voiced by road-safety experts that the illuminated screen could distract and block the view of drivers exiting the Newby Bridge forecourt.
On the first count, the Lake District National Park authority said the board would “appear visually intrusive in public views, resulting in harm to the appearance of the surrounding area”, and would not fit in with the “character of this rural location within the National Park”.
On the second count, National Highways, which manages the A590 trunk road which the forecourt adjoins, asked Wildstone for further information about the project on 18 February, enquiring as to the types of adverts that would be displayed, how long each ad would be shown for, and whether the advertisements would comprise static or moving images.
Wildstone, which made the planning application, seemingly decided not to respond to National Highways’ questions, as on 24 March the organisation declared “no further information has been provided”, and said it had “several unresolved safety concerns which prevent us from confirming that the proposal would not adversely impact the safe operation of the A590”.
The government body added that it was concerned the advertising board could obstruct the view of drivers using the petrol station, which has “a known collision history involving right-turn movements and egress from the forecourt”, while it had also not seen any risk assessment modelling the consequences of a vehicle impacting with the display.
Lake District National Park refused planning permission on the grounds of safety and visual character.
