Large advertising sign turned down over road safety fears

A Planning Inspector has upheld a decision to refuse permission for a large digital advertising board near a busy Pembrokeshire roundabout over road safety fears.

Pembrokeshire County Council had refused planning permission for a 6m by 3m digital advertising board on land close to the Royal Mail Sorting Office at Merlins Bridge.

The illuminated board – planned to show static advertising images at 10 second intervals – was proposed to face towards the Merlins Bridge roundabout, one Pembrokeshire’s busiest interchanges.

The Council had refused permission on the grounds of road safety and an overbearing feature on the street scene.

The Welsh Government as highway authority for the A4076 trunk road had also recommended refusal on road safety grounds.

Alight Media appealed the decision to refuse planning permission and the Planning Inspector’s report has now been published.

Inspector Melissa Hall dismissed the appeal, agreeing that the sign would create a hazard and “an unacceptable risk to highway safety.”

The Inspector’s report stated: “The prominence of the sizeable advertisement panel and frequently changing display…would draw the eye, diverting the attention of road users even momentarily.”

The report noted the potential for a change in colour of the advertising board to be misinterpreted as a change in traffic lights by drivers approaching the roundabout.

The Inspector also agreed that the proposed sign’s size and scale would also have “dominant visual impact upon its surroundings and an overbearing effect due to its scale and prominent siting.”