Plan for advertising screens at Cambridge rail station challenged
Proposals to erect large advertising screens at Cambridge railway station have been criticised on the grounds that they would ruin the appearance of the arches at the entrance of the Grade-II listed building. A planning application has been submitted for the installation of six iVision screens in the station's foyer. There were no objections from the city council's urban design and conservation team, but local councillor Richard Robertson claimed the panels would be "visually intrusive". Council planners recommended the plans be approved.

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A move to erect “extraordinarily large” advertising screen at Cambridge rail station have been slammed as they will ruin the ‘iconic’ arches of the listed building.

A planning application has been submitted to install six iVision screens in the foyer of the Grade II-listed station.

But Cllr Richard Robertson, who represents Petersfield on Cambridge City Council, fears the screens will destroy the historic image of the station.

He said: “They plan to put extraordinarily large screens up in the ticket hall of the station and there is some dispute as to the size. One part of the applications says the screens will be 1m by 2.3m high and the other 1.15m by 2.5m but whatever size they are I think they are just too big as this is a listed building.

“And it is not even information for passengers because the company applying represent advertisers. This will destroy the aspect as you look out from the station through the iconic arches.”

There were no objections from Cambridge City Council’s Urban Design and Conservation team.

The application states: “The photomontages submitted show that the ‘totems’ to be placed between the street side doors are not taller than the entrances and, hence, should not be visually over-dominant.

“Those illustrating the ‘totems’ to be placed on the platform side of the hall indicate that they will not obscure the decorative plaster mouldings on the walls in this area.”

But Cllr Richard Robertson said on the application the “digital panels would be so large that they would be visually intrusive in this listed building” and that the “applicant has not demonstrated that there is clear understanding of the building’s importance in the national and Cambridge context”.

And that the “application should have included an assessment relating to concerns to preserve the integrity of the arches”.

But council planning officers said the “digital panels would not be visually dominant” and recommended the plans are approved.