The following question was asked by Evelyn Williams:

Double Sided LED Digital Smart Screen, Station Approach

There are two issues relating to this planning application (180410) which was approved on 28 June 2018:

1. After installation of the screen the site was dug up again and a raised plinth built which appears to support the angled stand.  This is not part of the design in the planning application; it is not what the applicant said they would do.

2. There appears, to date, to be no evidence of any of the purported community benefits claimed by the applicant, which was a major selling point of the scheme based on their experience in other towns; Section 6.5 of their Planning Statement – see below. None of the voluntary groups which attended the Art and Heritage Forum in January, apart from CAAC / RCS members, were aware of the proposed Public Benefits of the screens. None were aware of any mechanism by which Community groups were able to place “adverts” on the screen.

Clarity is sought:

1. Should any action be taken re the variance of implementation versus approved design?
2. Has the company taken any action at all to make community groups aware of how they can advertise themselves?
3. How can voluntary groups across Reading, and more widely, apply to advertise themselves, their events and projects.

REPLY by the Chair of the Planning Applications Committee (Councillor Maskell):

1.     Advertisement consent (ref. 180410) was granted for a double sided LED digital smart screen at planning applications committee in June 2018. The screen, as installed, includes a small plinth at the base which is not shown on the approved plans. The screen operator has advised that the plinth was added to the structure to make entry into the ground of the stand supporting the screen appear neater and more aesthetically pleasing.

The plinth is modest in size at 1.87m in width, 0.82m in depth and 0.3m in height (only marginally larger than the stand itself in terms of area) and has been constructed of pavers to match the existing station concourse area and does not appear to be a prominent addition to the screen structure. Officers do not consider that the plinth results in any harm to visual amenity or public safety, which are the relevant considerations for advertisement consent applications. Officers therefore do not recommend that any further action is required by either the applicant or the Council as Local Planning Authority.

2.     The supporting statement submitted as part of the advertisement consent application for the screen makes reference to its potential community benefits through opportunities for local businesses, charities and community groups to advertise on the screen for free or at discounted rates. However, there is no condition on the advertisement consent decision requiring that the screen must be made available for such uses so this is at the discretion of the screen operator.  With applications for advertisement consent the only relevant considerations are the impact of the advertisement upon amenity and public safety. Therefore, the potential community benefits of the screen were not a relevant factor in the determination of the application and could not reasonably have been required or secured by way of a condition on the consent.

Notwithstanding this, the screen operator has run several adverts on the screen to encourage local businesses to contact them regarding its use and the screen has been used by a number of local small businesses & charities. Examples of which include: 

Guide Dogs for the Blind, Make a Wish, PACT, Progress Theatre, Around The Boundary, Comic Relief, Whiteknights Studio Trail, Reading Fringe Festival and MacMillan.

However, officers are not aware if other local community groups have been approached directly.

The licence between Maxx Media and Reading Borough Council provides the Council with free use of the screen to display public messages on any 28 days of the year, for 10 seconds in every minute of screen time. The 28 days may be called upon at any time, including during the operation of Reading Festival to display key public information messages, such as transport information. Use of free screen time is coordinated by the Council’s Strategic Communications Team to prioritise messages and ensure maximum corporate benefit.

Network Rail and Reading Borough Council are also afforded the opportunity to contact the developer to arrange the display of public information messages in the event of an emergency and/or incident within the Station or Town Centre. Messages can be approved and displayed in real time, providing the Council and its partners the ability to display public safety messages immediately.

3.     There is a ‘get in touch’ page on the screen operator ‘Maxx Media’s’ web site which includes a telephone number, email address and social media contacts to which enquiries about the use of the screen can be directed. The link to the web site is: http://maxxmedia.co.uk/get-in-touch/

Officers have also suggested to Maxx Media that they contact the Council’s Art and Heritage Forum regarding opportunities to use the screen so that community groups can be made more aware of its potential.