'Unsympathetic' LED advertising board for Shifnal town centre rejected
Planners have turned down a bid to add a digital LED advertising board to a town-centre railway bridge.
Network Rail has asked Shropshire Council for permission to add the display to the railway bridge near to Shifnal Railway Station.
The application asked consent to fit the board as a replacement for an existing advertising space already fitted on the southern side of the bridge (the approach from the Park Street direction).
In a submission to the council Network Rail said the request was part of a programme of modernising its advertising stock to a digital poster format.
It said: "The digital LED poster advertisements are capable of being posted from a central location without the need to visit each site individually.
"The digital image display will ensure a consistent quality of image is always presented, mimicking that of a traditional poster.
"The overall aim of the advertisement upgrading project is to enhance the advertisements, with no adverse impact on visual amenity or public safety."
But Shropshire Council has disagreed with the assessment and has rejected the proposal.
A decision notice explaining the reasons says it has been turned down because of the potential impact on Shifnal's Conservation Area - describing the plan as "overly dominant" and "unsympathetic".
It states: "The application proposed replacing an existing analogue billboard with a larger, internally illuminated digital LED display on the southern side of the historic railway bridge near Shifnal train station.
"Although the site is not listed, it lies within the Shifnal Conservation Area, and the bridge is considered a visually prominent historic structure that contributes positively to the area's character."
It adds: "The modern digital format, increased size, and illumination of the signage are deemed overly dominant and unsympathetic to the traditional surroundings. The proposal neither preserves nor enhances the character and appearance of the Conservation Area."
You can find out more about planning applications and planned roadworks where you live by visiting publicnoticeportal.uk.