Council rejects plans for advert boards in fears over road safety
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GIANT advertising boards will not be built on two of Bristol’s main roads amid concerns they could “seriously endanger” lives.
The 35-foot high structures could have been put up on the west side of Bond Street and the central reservation of Temple Way.
But the plans were blocked by Bristol City Council’s planning committee, which agreed the ads could distract drivers and spoil the look of the roads.
JCDecaux UK Limited submitted two separate applications for the boards. The first, on Bond Street, came under particular fire.
An authority planner had recommended councillors approve the two boards when they went before Bristol’s planning committee on Wednesday, July 11.
She said that two reports had found the boards would not make the area unsafe.
“It is considered that the proposed advert at Bond Street [and Temple Way] would not have any detrimental impact in the interests of amenity or public safety,” she said.
Councillor Richard Eddy agreed, saying: “I’ve read the officer’s report and I can’t read anything that seems to substantiate a risk so I’ll be voting in favour.”
But he was outvoted by the rest of the committee.
Cllr Jude English said: “I would strongly suggest that we don’t know enough about how dangerous these things are. I think there’s a massive road safety issue here - it’s not good enough to say it’s going to be fine. I think we need far more research and the research will show they will be PROPOSED NOW
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I think we’ll have a death on our hands if we say yes to this.
Councillor Jude English
PROPOSED really detrimental.
“I think we’ll have a death on our hands if we say yes to this.”
Councillor Margaret Hickman added: “This is an incredibly busy area, lots of cars, lots of pedestrians lots of junctions. I think putting it where they want to put it in could seriously endanger people.”
Meanwhile, Clifton councillor Carla Denyer said the planning officer’s report saying it would not impact on the look of the street was wrong.
She said: “I fundamentally disagree with that. It basically seems to be saying that since it’s not a terribly nice area it doesn’t matter anyway, it only matters in posh leafy places like Clifton that are already nice.”
There were fewer concerns over the application for the Temple Way board, but it too was turned down.