[Cllr Joanna Wright pictured in front of the Bath Press site]
I have a bit of sympathy with the contents of the latest press release from local members of the Bath & North East Somerset (BANES) Green Party who are objecting to plans for a illuminated advertising screen at the Bath Press site on Lower Bristol Road.
I think they are critical of the amount of inappropriate commercial advertising in the city. Can l quickly say I have noticed posters for various events being tied to lamp posts everywhere.
One for the beer festival was tied to the post of a pedestrian crossing on the London Road, completely obstructing oncoming traffic. That one was quickly turned around, l can tell you!
Anyway, here’s the release. Make of it what you will.
“The planning application (ref: 25/03878/AR) seeks permission to retain a large digital display at one of the city’s busiest junctions, a location where five collisions have been recorded since 2019.
In their objection, BANES Green Party councillors Saskia Heijltjes and Joanna Wright warn that the proposed advertising screen would cause harm to both public safety and local amenity.
“This junction is already complex and heavily used by drivers, cyclists and pedestrians — including many students and young people,” said Cllr Heijltjes. “Introducing a bright, changing advertisement here would only heighten the danger and directly undermine the council’s Vision Zero commitment to eliminate road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.”
The objection also raises concerns about visual clutter and light pollution, describing the proposal as “an intrusive commercial element” in a largely residential area.
“These kinds of digital billboards are designed to grab attention, not blend in,” added Cllr Wright. “They bring commercial intrusion and light pollution into local communities, at the expense of safety and visual amenity.”
BANES Green Party has previously opposed inappropriate commercial advertising in the city. Earlier this year, the party criticised the decision to allow a digital advert to be projected onto Bath Abbey, warning that it set a “dangerous precedent” for the World Heritage city (BANES Green Party statement, January 2025).
“Whether it’s the Abbey or the Bath Press junction, our message is the same,” said Cllr Heijltjes. “Public spaces should not be turned into billboards. Bath deserves better than a constant backdrop of commercial advertising.”
The Greens are urging Bath & North East Somerset Council to refuse the Bath Press advertising application in order to uphold the Vision Zero strategy, and preserve the character of local neighbourhoods.”
- Planning application: 25/03878/AR — Retention of advertising display at Bath Press, Lower Bristol Road, Bath
- BANES Green Party objection submitted by local members, including Cllrs Saskia Heijltjes (Walcot) and Joanna Wright (Lambridge)
- BANES Green Party statement on Bath Abbey advertising projection (January 2025): https://bath.greenparty.org.uk/2025/01/23/sainsburys-ad-on-bath-abbey-approved-campaigners-warn-of-dangerous-precedent/
The council is rapidly turning the Lower Bristol road in this area into Desolation Row with the appalling brick built(!) tenement blocks so flashing signs will just add to the ambiance.