Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on pre-application proposals for 26, six sheet adverts and to receive a presentation on the proposals on behalf of the applicant

This is a pre-application presentation and no formal decision on the development will be taken, however it is an opportunity for Panel Members to ask questions, raise issues, seek clarification and comment on the proposals at this stage. A ward member or a nominated community representative has a maximum of 15 minutes to present their comments. 

(report attached)

  Prior to consideration of this matter, Councillor J Procter left the meeting

Plans and photographs were displayed at the meeting. A Members site visit to some of the proposed locations around the City Centre had taken place earlier in the day

  The Panel considered a report of the Chief Planning Officer on the emerging proposals for the development of a Leeds City Council Advertisement Portfolio in partnership with Clear Channel UK Ltd and received a presentation from a representative of the company

  Members were informed that originally 40 sites around the City Centre had been proposed for the location of the advertisements, with this being scaled down to 26. These would be digital displays

  Clear Channel UK Ltd was an experienced national company with a presence in Leeds since the late 1960s.  The contract between the company and the Council was based on providing revenue to the Council

  A design engineer had been employed, who had successfully produced the wayfinding scheme around the City Centre

  The siting of the units had been considered carefully with regard being given to highways safety and pedestrian flows as well as the location of the displays in relation to Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas.  To avoid impacting on pedestrian flow, where possible, the units would be sited in line with existing street furniture

  Images of each site with an indicated siting of the display unit were shown to the Panel

   Members discussed the proposal and commented on the following matters:

·  the size of the units, whether these could be varied and their proximity to existing street furniture which increased the cluttered effect already seen on some City Centre streets

·  the need to understand the benefits of the scheme to the Council

·  the need for photomontages of each site showing the display unit in situ, to enable the Panel to better understand the proposals

·  the length of time the units would remain part of the street scene, with the Clear Channel representative stating that 10 years was the standard length of time for such an investment, although 15 – 20 years was not uncommon

·  the content of the advertisements, particularly in the context of Leeds being a child-friendly city.  The Chief Planning Officer stated that in planning terms it was not possible to influence the content of images; that would be a matter to be dealt with in the contract.  Members were informed that advertisements would be sold in packages across the country, so the same advertisement would not appear on each site.  Furthermore there was the opportunity to use the displays to provide public information/emergency information, with details of a missing child being displayed on such units recently in Edinburgh

·  concerns about specific locations which were proposed, including outside Dyson’s Chambers; Sovereign Street and along The Headrow, where several units would be visible together and the need for each site to be evaluated

In response to the specific questions raised in the report, the Panel

provided the following responses:

·  that Members required further information on the proposals before they could be satisfied they were acceptable and appropriate for these locations, with concerns being raised that 26 displays around the City Centre were too many

·  that further work was required in respect of the impact of the units on highways safety

·  that any subsequent planning applications for the advertisement units should be brought to Panel for determination together with the additional information requested