The City of Sydney wants to restrict the building of new outdoor advertising spaces and reserve 15 per cent of all ad space for its own marketing, a draft plan reveals.
The Outdoor Media Association (OMA) has come out swinging against the proposal in a 159-page submission, identifying 14 issues and lobbying for a more evidenced-based approach.
Sydney Council’s plan comes soon after it lobbied to tear down Australia’s biggest billboard near the Anzac Bridge, calling it a ‘permanent blight’ on the skyline.
The council says the ‘Draft Development Control Plan 2015 (DCP) into Signs and Advertisements’ is an effort to ‘best address the promotional needs of the city’s businesses’ and includes changes to how and where outdoor advertising can be used in the city.
[Related: More outdoor news]
While many of the OMA’s objections relate to digital billboards, a point ProPrint will analyse on a forthcoming story, it is particularly scathing of the 15 per cent allocation of ad space to the council, for free, calling it ‘unlawful’.
It says the requirement ‘constitutes a form of development contribution to be made solely to the council’ that is not authorised by any of its laws of contributions plans
“A DCP cannot lawfully be used to require a developer to make developer contributions to a council,” the OMA says.
The association points out that its members already provide $22m a year in free ad space for charities and not-for-profit organisations.
One of the campaigns the city seeks to use the ad space for includes its Green Villages website that has articles on eating less meat, worm farms, and instructions on how to keep bees in the inner city.
The OMA also hits out at one of the DCP’s key objectives – ‘to restrict the establishment of new third party advertising structures’ – as it would hurt the industry and wider economy.
“No sound reasoning has been provided as to why this has been included as an objective of the draft DCP 2015. This blanket restriction sets an improper planning precedence of inflexibility,” it says.
“The plan would benefit from more flexible, merit-based guidelines to encourage creativity, innovation and design excellence.”
The restriction appears not to apply to street furniture owned by the city or on-premise advertising, which the OMA says is ‘inequitable in that it proposes to restrict one form of advertising structure only’.
[Related: More NSW news]
The OMA warned the restrictions would be contrary to the council’s Economic Development Strategy by having “an additional impact on local businesses who utilise outdoor advertising to promote their business”.
“Currently over 40 per cent of outdoor advertising displayed by OMA members is utilised by retail, tourism and events, all of which are identified by the City in the Economic Development Strategy as being key to economic growth,” it says.
“This DCP could result in outdated and unchanging signage out of touch with Sydney’s status as a modern and vibrant city.”
When asked for comment on the OMA’s submission, the council said only that it is “reviewing all submissions to the plan and will consult with stakeholders before preparing a report with recommendations for council”.
The OMA says it is hoping to work collaboratively with the council to work out a more ‘balanced’ regulatory system.
“The OMA and its members have a longstanding collaborative working relationship with the City of Sydney and we are confident that we can find a mutually beneficial solution of simple outdoor advertising guidelines that facilitate best practice and visual amenity,” it says.
“Since the submission, the OMA has had a number of positive meetings with council and commend the city for taking the steps to formally recognise the important and increasing role it plays in our community.”
Comment below to have your say on this story.
If you have a news story or tip-off, get in touch at editorial@sprinter.com.au.
Sign up to the Sprinter newsletter