THE town centre will soon have 11 new LED digital advertising screens, which will show static and animated adverts.

The new screens will be on Broad Street and Station Road. Five will be on bus shelters, and six will be free standing.

Two screens were proposed for Queen Victoria Street, but Reading Borough councillors voted on Wednesday May 29 to refuse planning permission for these.

The advertising company JCDecaux will run the screens, which will raise some money for the council, although it is unclear how much.

Two proposed screens on Broad Street was also refused permission, as council officers were concerned they could block the view of CCTV cameras, creating an ‘unnecessary security risk’.

The two screens on Queen Victoria Street were refused for the same reason, as well as because the street is historic and has Grade II listed buildings on both sides, and the screens would be ‘visually intrusive’.

Councillor Tony Page (Lab, Abbey), the lead for planning and transport, told the planning committee he had heard a suggestion to place the screens in the middle of Broad Street, ‘to block the flow of cyclists’, as some of them cycle too fast.

He said: “Advertising is a feature of town centres and historic centres. But the two that were proposed on Queen Victoria Street were inappropriate.”

Cllr Jane Stanford-Beale, (Con, Peppard), said: “They have these signs in the Oracle and they look smart and modern. But on Queen Victoria Street they would look rather out of place.”

Campaigners in some cities want to ban or reduce the amount of corporate advertising, saying it is ugly and bad for mental health.

Adblock Bristol and Berlin Werbefrei have both petitioned local government, while Sao Paulo and Grenoble have both banned commercial adverts.