A firm hopes to put up four digital advertising screens in streets in the centre of Brighton after winning a planning appeal against the council.
But the firm, JC Decaux, lost its appeal to put up four identical screens on the pavement at four other nearby sites.
A planning inspector said that the reasons included concerns about the safety of pedestrians, including wheelchair users, and the effect of the proposals on the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
Brighton and Hove City Council was reported as saying that – as the landlord – it was unlikely to grant licences for any of the hubs even if they were given planning consent.
JC Decaux, the biggest outdoor advertising company in the world, has put up its digital screens – similar to those in modern bus shelters – in dozens of places up and down the country.
They act as standalone 5G mobile phone masts – about 8ft 6in or 2m tall – and offer free wifi, an emergency phone and a defibrillator.
The company told the Planning Inspectorate that its solar-powered “communications hubs” offered free phone calls to landlines and charities, wayfinding, device charging, rapid connection to emergency services and public messaging capabilities.
JC Decaux added that they were also “a platform for other technologies such as … CCTV” and in some areas this has attracted objections and criticism.
A Brighton and Hove City Council report said that the hubs created “additional street clutter” and cited Cityclean, the in-house street cleaning, rubbish and recycling service.
The report said: “Cityclean have concerns about adding new structures and street furniture in the city due to high levels of vandalism and anti-social behaviour, particularly graffiti, tagging, stickering and fly posting.
“The new installation of the similar BT street hubs show that these structures are subject to these types of behaviour and, despite BT promising fortnightly maintenance and cleaning, this hasn’t been seen. The hubs are quickly becoming unsightly additions to the city.
“The graffiti removal team within Cityclean has a huge task on its hands in maintaining property and street furniture that belongs to the council
“(It) does not have the capacity, within the team or budget, to be able to extend the scope of the types of property they can remove from.”
The four sites where the hubs have planning permission are
- outside Waitrose, in Western Road
- outside the Ibis hotel in Queen’s Road
- outside Hanover House – the old Eagle Star offices – in Queen’s Road
- outside Sainsbury’s in North Street
The four sites where the planning appeals were dismissed are
- outside the Leonardo Royal Hotel – formerly the Jurys Inn – in King’s Road
- outside Metro Bank in North Street
- outside Costa at 193 Western Road
- outside 56 Western Road by the corner of Clarence Square
Planning inspector Gwilym Powys Jones agreed with the council that the final four sites were “cluttered with street furniture” and that any more would be unsuitable.
The council wanted to include a planning condition that would require JC Decaux to provide a management plan to cover issues such as vandalism.
Mr Powys Jones said: “Such a condition is justified and necessary in the interests of amenity and such a condition shall therefore be imposed.
“I shall, however, extend the purpose of the plan to cover issues such as malfunctioning for reasons other than vandalism to ensure the public benefits of the hubs continue.”
Western Road pavements have just been revamped to be pleasant places to walk down and have almost immediately been cluttered with these huge advertising screens, bicycle racks, bins etc etc.
Have you taken a bus rid along Western Road lately? It still feels like a bumpy third world road beneath rather than the flawless road shown in the artist’s impression. Absolute cowboy workmanship for the countless millions it cost. As for the enlarged pavement clutter, it just goes to show that all this talk of more space for safer walking and cycling was complete bs and used as an excuse to narrow the road and remove bus stops and trees. The new layout also delays buses by preventing them being able to overtake each other when they need to and impedes emergency vehicles. All this upheaval and monstrous cost – including water main and other repairs for surrounding road detours – for a road where cars were already banned along most of the stretch.
That’s because it’s not fully finished yet
All Government money to improve town centres
It’s still our money being wasted – there is no “magic money tree”.
What is their environmental footprint under our Council’s declared ‘climate crisis’ and who pays for the electricity to power them – the taxpayer? Do citizens want this constant bombardment in the streets? What is the mental health impact?
At least electricity can be sustainably sourced.
Daft idea the pavement next to Waitrose has been enlarged at huge expense to make it nicer for pedestrians not so you can stick one of these ugly things there.
So the council doesn’t want street hubs, but those that do exist and screens at bus shelters are used for their propaganda.
Even variable traffic information signs are used to publicise Better Points.
If the council were really worried about the look of streets, perhaps get rid of the bike racks (Beryl and individual), communal rubbish bins, and all the food delivery riders blocking pavements.
That’s fallacious Berry, just say you don’t like Beryl bikes instead of trying to justify it.
Just saying the stands block pavements, and it’s rare to see bikes any being used as, they rust away on stands. Also in my, and many others, opinion they are a waste of public money when other services are being cut, are too expensive and difficult to operate.
Restrictions that you only pick up and drop off from hubs further limits use.
The nearest rack to me is a 15 minute walk away so of no use to me.
Do you use them?
I see you didn’t comment on bins, other cycle stands and delivery riders – I wonder why? 😁
No mate, I actually have very little reason to go into the town because the internet exists. You provide a much better discussion point this time around though; if the bikes indeed show though data that they are cost ineffective, it would make a compelling argument for their removal.
Bins are needed unfortunately, and the average person are not good recyclers, so it’s a necessary thing, although I will support you in that they can be better presented.
And I don’t really have a response to your dislike of food delivery drivers other than if people didn’t like them, they wouldn’t use the service?
Why doesn’t the council remove all those disused BT phone boxes that are used as unirals and those ugly plastic atm cash points that litter Brighton’s high streets and seafront before giving planning permission for more clutter on our streets?
Also isn’t it time to replace those old ugly wooden poster display boxes and boards on the seafront with something more sightly?
The ‘street hubs’ are basically massive advertising hoardings for junk food, which as we know is causing a huge strain on the NHS and has early mortality. I hope the council stands up to the bully’s
Easy really, if they want them then they maintain them, keep them clean and remove tagging and posters as they appear. Every new hub requires one disused phone to be removed . Communities get free ad space/time . Limited lease of 5 years
I agree with you Derek regarding maintenance. Should never become something the council has to deal with.
They aren’t maintained by the council, but they use them for propaganda purposes.
Tinfoil theory aside, the fear is that if they stop being maintained by third parties, the council would be forced to maintain them.
Was reading into free device charging hubs. Massive security risk for your data on your phone. Really easy to piggyback off that and give you physical access.
Why is device charging a security risk? Do you also avoid USB chargers on buses?
I…I literally just told you why Bernie. I’m not sure what part of that you’re not getting?
I actually wasn’t aware buses had USB slots. But yeah, they could be a security risk for the same explanation.