Showground wins battle of wills over billboard adverts

ONE of the city's best-used arenas has won the right to display advertising billboards – despite being told by the city council to take them down.

The Royal Highland Centre at Ingliston defied an enforcement order to remove the billboards and instead appealed to the Scottish Government, which agreed to let them stay.

The issue emerged in March last year when the council noticed the advertising hoardings – which were not illuminated – had been erected at the venue of the annual Royal Highland Show without permission.

An enforcement notice was issued, but to avoid taking them down the centre lodged a retrospective planning application – which the council refused.

At the time, planning head Alan Henderson said the boards had an "unacceptable visual impact" on the busiest road into the Capital, and that they had to go.

However, a Scottish Government planning reporter ruled that some of the adverts should be allowed to stay – providing they advertised The Royal Highland Centre and the Royal Highland Show only. Remaining signs within the ground itself will still have to be taken down.

The signs in question, which are nine metres long and four metres high, are placed in a V configuration and face east and west so both sides of A8 traffic on Glasgow Road can see them.

The reporter said: "The determining issue in this appeal is whether the proposed displays would be contrary to the interests of amenity. Although these signs are, in effect, a duplication of information, given the long boundary of the showground I do not consider they create clutter or adversely impact on the amenity."

He added that because the signs carried some information merit, with messages on where to park and how to access nearby Edinburgh Airport, this should work in their favour.

But he did agree with the council in the case of some of the other signs erected, which had "no functional relationship to the centre or showground" and were "unacceptable in terms of excessive advertising".

The centre hosts a range of events, including last year's elections, although the Highland Show is by far the most popular.

Almond councillor Norman Work said: "I don't have too much of a problem with it. There's already an airport there and the venue's moving over the road anyway. Maybe there was a problem with too many signs, but then people need to be informed because Ingliston can be tricky to access for the first time."

The Royal Highland Centre declined to comment, saying it had only just received the ruling and needed time to digest it. A council spokeswoman said: "The planning committee will implement the decision."