Menu

Neighbours fury over giant advertising sign in Blackpool Road which keeps them awake

Posted on - 26th April, 2019 - 7:00am | Author - | Posted in - Ashton-on-Ribble, Preston News
The billboard on the side of the cafe in Blackpool Road Pic: Tony Worrall
The billboard on the side of the cafe in Blackpool Road Pic: Tony Worrall

Neighbours living near a giant illuminated advertising hoarding say they are losing sleep due to the light it gives off.

The bill board was installed on the side of the Parkview Cafe on Blackpool Road in August, but residents living nearby branded the sign an eyesore and said they were not consulted before it was installed.

Dr Brian Hitchen, who lives in Waterloo Road, said: “The light is keeping us awake at night. It is shining into our bedroom, it shines into our kitchen, our dining room and our hallway.

“It is an absolute intrusion.

“The first we heard about it was when it appeared. We were never spoken to before that. We have now taken it up with the council.”

A number of residents have complained to Preston City Council in a bid to have it removed.

Read more: Management company VMS brought in to take over the Guild Hall

A Preston City Council spokeswoman said: “The Council’s Planning and Environmental Health teams are investigating complaints received regarding the illuminated billboard on Blackpool road.

“Working together with the company who manage the billboard, we are ensuring it meets the planning guidelines originally set out and is in line with environmental health regulations.“

A spokeswoman for Wallace Digital, who operate the advertising board, said: “There have recently been a number of false and misleading statements made about Wallace Digital and our digital advertising billboard on Blackpool Road so we feel it is important to correct/ clarify a number of points.

“The board is owned solely by Edgar Wallace, a local businessman with substantial investments in Preston. Planning permission was granted to Edgar Wallace in April 2018. The board was installed and has been operating since August 2018.

“For a short period of time we were looking to operate the board in partnership with Simon Rigby under the name of Guild Visuals. However, due to professional differences of opinion, Edgar Wallace resigned from Guild Visuals and we continued this venture with absolutely no links to Simon Rigby or Guild Visuals.

“In January 2019, five months after the board had begun operating, we became aware that two complaints had been made to the Environmental Health Department regarding the board’s light levels at night – one from a local resident and one from a councillor who is a non-resident.

“We immediately contacted the environmental health department to determine the potential issue and begin dialogue. We voluntarily and pro-actively began testing the light levels to see if we could reduce these and as a result we voluntarily lowered the board to 75cdm2 at night. For reference street lamps operate around 300cdm2. We also chose to remove any adverts with full white backgrounds. We received confirmation from the EHO that they were not taking further action over the complaints.

“We installed the Digital Billboard as a means to support local businesses and charities. Every day we see empty shops on the streets of Preston – Blackpool Road being no exception. Our aim is to help local businesses to be able to get themselves noticed in a way that is normally only accessible for big brands – and provide a much needed boost to the local economy. We have had some fantastic feedback from our customers who have used the board so far.”

It is not the first time the area has had complaints over advertising at the site.

In 2009 a 15ft poster showing a near-naked glamour model advertising lapdancing club Perfect 10s sparked complaints to advertising watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority.

What do you think of the illuminated bill board? Leave your views in the comments below.

Share
Preston in pictures REFLECTIONS .... Whilst most sleep, this is what Preston Dock Marina looks like at 06.30 on a still summers morning. 6-7-13 (lens at 18mm) ©Preston. Junction of Powis Road - Watery Lane 1981 with the Docks in the background. ©Prestons Iconic 1960's Bus Station pictured in 1981, 12 years after opening, looking at the Ribble Bus Co. side from Ringway. ©St Pauls Church, Preston transforms into Red Rose Radio Preston in 1981. ©Preston Guild Hall, Lancaster Rd Dull summer day 1981. ©Ringway Preston on a dull summer day in 1981. ©Class 390 Avenham Park, PrestonM6 Motorway Preston looking south summer 1984 © View more
Advertisement
Subscribe to the newsletter

Sign up below to receive Blog Preston's email newsletter. It wings its way into inboxes every Sunday and Wednesday rounding up our top stories and more.

Advertisement
News by location

Find news by location, select an area of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

The Preston Guide

Discover local businesses and services near you.

Advertisement
Categories

Find news by category, select an category of your choice to be kept up to date with the latest goings on.

Blog Preston email updates

Receive our digest of the biggest and best stories every Sunday to your email inbox

We respect your privacy and you can unsubscribe at any time from our emails