Adblock Lambeth group claim victory as giant billboard applications are rejected by the town hall

BY TOBY PORTER
toby@slpmedia.co.uk

Campaigners are claiming victory after their protests stopped five luminous advertising hoardings from going ahead.

Adblock Lambeth group have welcomed the decisions to refuse planning permission for five “intrusive” illuminated advertising billboards across the borough.

They say the large digital billboards would have been capable of bombarding residents with thousands of corporate advertising messages around the clock.

Lambeth council officials agreed they were harmful and obtrusive.

The five separate applications to install the digital screens have been rejected by the town hall after opposition from residents, on the grounds of public amenity, safety and their surroundings.

Multinational media company JCDecaux was behind the proposal to install the billboards, which would be free-standing, measuring 6.2m x 3.1m, next to Waterloo roundabout, Atkins Road, Westminster Bridge Road, and two in Kennington.

There were 40 objections to the proposal, with the planned billboard at Waterloo being the most contentious.

In its decision about the Waterloo proposal, Lambeth planning officers said the billboard was “harmful to local residents” and “harmful to highway safety”.

It said the billboard was also “unduly prominent”, “visibly obtrusive”, “out of keeping” with the area and would create an “unacceptable degree of visual clutter”.

Adblock Lambeth campaigner Camille Aboudaram said that the decision vindicated the concern from residents about more illuminated advertising in the borough.

“Each of these billboards proposed to steal our attention 12 times per minute. In their objections, residents have sent Lambeth council a clear message that we do not need more corporate advertising in our public spaces.

“The purpose of such billboards is to grab our attention with rapidly changing, brightly-lit digital screens, meaning that they can be a dangerous distraction to drivers and cyclists.

“They also cause light pollution for residents and use a shocking amount of energy – the average billboard requires the same amount of electricity as 11 average UK houses.

“But we should also be concerned about what advertising in our public spaces does to our mental health.

“Modern advertising works by subliminally manipulating our emotions to make us think we want things we don’t really need. The ads tell us that we are not good enough as we are, and that we must buy more products to feel complete.

“Our public spaces should be about celebrating our diversity, our local businesses and welcoming a creative community – rather than allowing big business to bombard us with messages to buy, buy, buy.”

Adblock Lambeth has so far successfully objected to nine billboard applications in the borough.

Adblock Lambeth claim they are a group of residents who cherish their communities and want to protect them, so oppose corporate advertising which harms body image, equality in representation, local business and the environment.

Its aim is to fight for happier and healthier cities. We dream of urban environments which celebrate all the people living in them and are committed to make our neighbourhoods more independent, creative and welcoming.

We are seeking alternatives beyond consumerism: we celebrate community connection, solidarity, public art and nature.”

JCDecaux refused the South London Press’s request for a comment.

 

Pictured: Images of where some of the rejected billboards were to be placed