Developers eye Ocean Road junction near South Shields Morrisons for huge new digital advertising screen

South Tyneside Council’s planning department has received an application for 42 Ocean Road near Morrisons in the town.

The plans are linked to the building which overlooks the junction connecting Ocean Road and Anderson Street, near King Street.

Applicant Wildstone Estates Limited has applied for permission to erect a “D48 illuminated advertising display” on the gable end of the building.

Plans describe the proposed digital sign as a modern ‘D-Poster’ advertising display which would be “positioned 7.4m above ground”, measuring”6m(w) x 3m(h)”.

It was noted that the display would “face east out onto Ocean Road, which takes traffic from South Shields to Sandhaven Beach” and would “display multiple static advertisements on rotation”.

It was also noted that the proposed new display technology is “lightweight, durable, efficient and can be easily erected with minimal engineering” and that the “quality of the image produced will mimic that of a traditional poster”.

Other features include the screen being adjusted to “changes in the ambient light, ensuring that the brightness decreases in low light conditions.”

Details of the plans are set out in a covering letter submitted to council officials, which states the plan is “part of an industry wide drive to rationalise, modernise and upgrade advertising infrastructure to meet modern requirements”.

Developers said the proposal for Ocean Road was part of “a nationwide project to upgrade traditional advertising hoardings to a modern digital format” and that the proposed site was “an acceptable location for advertising in principle due to the commercial context”.

It was argued that site proposals would not impact nearby residential properties as the proposed display is “positioned away from these properties”, as well as the wider “urban nature of the South Shields centre surroundings, which are primarily commercial in character”.

Those behind the scheme also noted the proposed location of the digital advert and measures to “minimise the potential for driver distraction”.

The applicant’s covering letter said: “With regards to highway safety, the site is in an uncomplicated T-junction with traffic lights.

“In this urban environment, where traffic is expected to be slow moving (<30mph), drivers would be entirely capable of glancing at advertisements whilst maintaining safe stopping distances and an awareness of surrounding hazards.

“The cognitive demand on road users at this point is low as there are no unusual highway complexities which would require extra care to be taken.”

Developers also said that digital signs allow the “advertising network to be better managed, monitored and maintained”, along with “flexibility” which “allows smarter real time campaigns and better control over sales”.

Other benefits listed by developers included “greater flexibility to enable better access to advertising displays for local businesses” and “platforms to broadcast emergency messaging”, as well as “public messaging and public art campaign” uses.

A decision on plans for the Ocean Road site will be made once a period of council consultation has concluded.

Comments can be made on the plans, via South Tyneside Council’s planning portal website, until May 6, 2025.

For more information on the plans, visit the council’s planning portal website and search reference: 250246