Issue details

In February 2021 the council secured ownership of the billboard adjacent to Feethams roundabout. This was a strategic decision to help increase the impact of corporate campaigns given the high volume of traffic flow and footfall around the location.

Digital billboards are increasingly replacing traditional ‘paper’ billboards across the country for a number of reasons;
- They allow multiple adverts to run simultaneously (usually 6 per minute)
- Adverts are highly visible day and night, and in poor weather conditions.
- Adverts can be updated quickly at short notice.
- Avoids costs and delays associated with printing and installing replacement adverts.
- They provide more opportunities for income generation with the potential to reach an income of over £150k per year (1 x slot for 2 week = £1,000. 6 simultaneous slots x 26 weeks).
Installation of the replacement billboard is subject to planning approval which is yet to be submitted.

Based on initial estimates secured, the supply and installation costs for the billboard will be in the region of £70k. There will be additional one off costs for ground clearance and the installation of an electrical supply. The annual revenue costs (including the costs of electricity) are currently anticipated to be in the region of £11k. In contrast the current ‘paper based’ model costs around £1,200 each time the image is updated (covering internal costs for design & print, and external costs for installation), and this is planned to be up to 12 times per year (up to £14,400). The current model is restricted to one advert at a time, leaving little scope for advertising income generation should the decision be made to progress with this in the future.

Implementation Date

When a digital solution has been procured.