Proposal for Illuminated Advert Signs on Reading’s Key Route Rejected

A proposal by a company to install illuminated advertising signs along a significant thoroughfare in Reading has been rejected. Alight Media had sought to erect two signs, positioned on opposing sides of the Shine Hand Car Wash on London Road, but Reading Borough Council denied this application. The company subsequently appealed the council’s decision to the Planning Inspectorate, which similarly rejected the application. Planning inspector Beth Astley-Serougi determined that the proposed screens, measuring 19.7ft (6m) by 9.8ft (3m) and designed to display advertisements changing every 10 seconds, would have been “harmful.” She explained that the signs’ placement near Cemetery Junction and a pedestrian crossing in the Berkshire town would have presented a danger. Its close proximity to the Grade II listed Reading Cemetery and to residential properties on Regent Street and Cholmeley Road was also cited as a reason for its rejection, she added.