AN appeal over rejected plans to install a digital advert in Newton Mearns has been thrown out due to “public safety” concerns.

East Renfrewshire Council planners rejected Wildstone Securities’ bid to remove a 48-sheet advertising hoarding on land at Barrhead Road and replace it with a digital display.

They decided the proposal could “distract vehicle drivers and have a detrimental impact on road safety”.

The firm appealed to the Scottish Government as it believed the “massing, quality and brightness of the proposed display is not considered to be excessive”.

But reporter Fortune Gumbo, appointed by the Scottish Government, has dismissed the case, upholding the decision to refuse planning consent.

The decision stated the proposed advert would be “contrary to the interests of public safety”.

Wildstone Securities’ application was initially rejected by the council in January this year.

The firm wanted to install an “illuminated free-standing LED digital display unit” on land “on the north-western corner of Barrhead Road and Capelrig Road at Fairweather Hall”.

It would have shown “a cycle of static advertisements at 10 seconds intervals, with the advertisements changing with a rapid fade”.

In the appeal, the company argued the site is “a well-established and active location for commercial advertising”.

It claimed the “massing, quality and brightness of the proposed display is not considered to be excessive in terms of a modern digital advertising display in a commercial setting”.

“The proposal seeks to control the level of luminance to ensure there is minimal impact on the surrounding area in terms of public safety,” the appeal added.

However, the reporter shared the council’s safety concerns regarding the “potential impact on the vehicles travelling northwest on Barrhead Road through the junction and vehicles undertaking a right turn into Capelrig Road from Barrhead Road”.

They disagreed with the appellant’s view that the “illumination from the LED display would not represent an unusual feature to passing motorists”.

The decision, issued at the end of June, added: “Contrary to the appellant’s submissions, the LED advertising displays are not a characteristic of this area and would, in my opinion, add an unnecessary layer of complication.

It stated the “sole aim of advertising is to attract attention” which can “present a safety issue when the advertisement sign is inappropriately located and distracts road users from operating a vehicle in a safe manner particularly where there are a number of issues to consider”.

The reporter ruled the proposal would have “the potential to create a distraction to passing motorists due to the size and prominence”. “This might increase the risk of accidents and would be detrimental to road safety. I therefore conclude the proposal would be contrary to the interests of public safety.”