We are asking Lewisham Council and the Planning Inspectorate of England to remove and permanently ban LED advertising billboards from our local neighbourhood (Stanstead Road, SE23/SE6 boundary), which currently includes:

·         The LED billboard attached to 309 Stanstead Road, SE23 1JB. This billboard was granted express planning permission on 30 July 2018 for a period of 5 years, which has now expired; 

·         The LED billboard at 293 Stanstead Road, SE23 1JB. The planning application for this billboard was refused by Lewisham Council in November 2023, however the applicant has lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate of England, so there is a risk that the second LED billboard is imposed on us by this central government agency. 

LED billboards are bright massive TV screens, 6m wide and 3m tall, which display a sequence of ads at a fixed interval. They have no place in our beautiful neighbourhood! 

·         Listen to residents who’ve had their health severely affected by the incessant glare of LED screens. The installation of the LED billboard at 309 Stanstead Road has caused significant injury to the residents of nearby properties. The significant night-time glare from the supersized screen shines directly through several master bedroom windows, and continues to impact the quality of sleep of multiple local residents, adversely impacting their health. According to medical guidance, high intensity LED lighting emits a large amount of blue light, which has a much greater impact on sleep quality than any other type of light, leading to a myriad of health issues. Some residents even installed blackout blinds and curtains at great expense, but we shouldn’t suffer just because an advertising company wants to display more ads!   

·         Protect the local amenity around Lewisham’s Grade II listed buildings. The billboards are out of sync with the residential and historic character of the local area. In 2022 Blythe Hill Tavern at 319 Stanstead Road became a Grade II listed building, becoming the second listed building in the vicinity of the LED billboards, after Stanstead Lodge at 260 Stanstead Road. The billboards negatively impact the visual prominence of these historic community assets. The Council recently recognised the argument for protection of local historic assets by rejecting an application to install a 20m phone mast near the Tavern - it is now time to offer further protection to our historic area. 

·         Stop the exponential rise in visual clutter in our local high street, and protect our local businesses. There are currently four large scale billboards, attached to properties at 293, 294-298, 305 and 309 Stanstead Road, all displayed within a small distance of 100 yards. No other high street in Lewisham suffers from a similar level of billboard saturation. Such overconcentration of billboards, promoting big national brands at the expense of local ones, undermines the appeal of local shopping. It also makes our local high street more prone to residential development, such as the conversion of the former shop at 294 Stanstead Road to flats in 2022.

·         Protect the lives of most vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. The presence of massive LED screens positioned to distract drivers is fundamentally incompatible with the safety of other road users. There are two pedestrian crossings on Stanstead Road serving the local residents, in particular primary school and nursery children, as well as an unprotected cycle lane within the visual impact of these screens. Not all drivers adhere to the 20mph speed limit, and Stanstead Road continues to be used by large HGVs, so it is not acceptable to install massive LED screens along the route. When consulted about road safety for the proposed second LED billboard installation, Transport for London responded that the overall impact on safety, amenity and pedestrian/cyclists users’ comfort was unacceptable. Do not dismiss TFL’s advice!

·         Stop entrenching health and economic inequality. Research shows that more than 82% of billboards are placed in the most economically deprived areas, as no one would really live next to unhealthy blue light of a massive LED screen by choice. In addition, outdoor advertising often promotes unhealthy fast food, with research showing that exposure to such advertising contributes to obesity in young people. 

·         Act on climate emergency. In 2020 Lewisham Council rightfully recognised Climate Emergency, but the continued proliferation of these massive LED screens is at odds with the declaration. It is estimated that one digital billboard consumes enough energy to power over 11 average UK houses. With the continued high energy prices impacting household finances, creating additional demand on the grid purely to display ads is an act of environmental self-harm.

·         Save our wildlife. There is evidence of artificial light pollution from digital billboards harming wildlife, with particular impacts on bats, nocturnal birds and insect populations, all of which are in decline across the UK. LED lightning is bluer, more intense and has a significantly larger geographic reach than other lightning.  Artificial light affects mating, feeding, navigation and development for many of these beautiful animals, let’s keep them all safe and sound!