Council bosses have been urged to clarify a plan to restrict advertising around Dundee’s Waterfront, amid fears they will discourage people from poorer backgrounds from visiting.
Councillors will be asked to approve an “area of special control” scheme, setting out the types of adverts that will be permitted and where they can be placed, next week. A similar programme is already in place in the city centre.
Supporters say the aim is to preserve the area’s status. The streets surrounding the V&A, Discovery Point, Slessor Gardens and the emerging Waterfront Place as well as Black Watch Parade, Whaler’s Lane and the plaza at the entrance to the railway station would be included within the new measures.
Mark Flynn, city development convener, said: “There’s no point in successfully linking the city centre with the estuary, encouraging high-quality architecture and innovative design and having an accessible streetscape and then allowing it to be plastered with advertising that is not in keeping with the vision that is being delivered.”
Will Dawson, planning convener, said: “Under these new proposals it is clear there will still be some advertising at the Waterfront but they would give the council a greater level of control on what goes there, what it looks like and where it is placed.”
But the plans have raised concerns the powers could be used to create an “elitist” atmosphere as the redevelopment continues.
According to the report, a “proliferation of uncontrolled” advertising could “undermine the progress” of the Waterfront and “how Dundee is perceived elsewhere”.
Bill Newcombe, chairman of the City Centre and Harbour Community Council, fears it would be a “big mistake” if the measures resulted in only “posh ads” being approved.
He said: “The area is an amenity for everyone. The Waterfront is there for the whole of Dundee and it is important that everyone feels welcome there.
“Also, can we have some clarity on what the council is intending to do there?”
Labour councillor Charlie Malone, who represents Lochee, one of the city’s most deprived areas, said: “There is some merit in the idea of ensuring the aesthetic of the Waterfront is enhanced, but the message that the council is seeking powers to effectively regulate advertising content could be seen as further exposing the project to claims of elitism.
“Hopefully, we as councillors will receive more information. I would ask a simple question about who will decide what is tasteful and appropriate?
“Aesthetic, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.”
