The City of Sydney is calling for Australia's largest billboard site to be torn down amid claims that it's a “permanent blight” on the landscape.
Industry players, however, are keen to keep the billboard in place calling it iconic and saying that it would be disappointing to see it go, and that the removal of it would detract from the city's character.
Charmaine Moldrich, CEO of the OMA, said that it adds to the vibrancy of the city.
Many marketers can remember the first time they ran ads on the billboard, the creative and when it ran, which many colloquially say demonstrates the role it plays in Australia’s advertising landscape.
Moldrich told AdNews today that when you ask people about their favourite cities, most cite New York, or London, and comment on the bright lights and vibrancy – much of which comes from the high-profile billboard sites such as Piccadilly Circus or Times Square.
“Detractors talk about visual pollution but really there haven't been many additional billboard sites built in Sydney since the 90s, and, without the silos billboard, there would be a loss of vibrancy to the city.
The site at Glebe Island Silos has been in place since 1994, ahead of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, and is one of the city's most iconic sites.
Estimates reported by AdNews in 2013 put the cost of advertising on the 200-meter site at $250,000 a month, which makes it one of – if not the – most expensive billboard sites in the country, but the figure spend by brands varies due to time of year and other market conditions.
Ooh! Media, which owns the site, has applied to renew it for the next seven years. In a statement today, Ooh! Media said:
“Its retention for an additional seven years will ensure that it continues to contribute to the character of the area and its setting at Glebe Island. At the same time, the provision of a ten-year period will ensure that we will be able to make a greater level of capital investment in sign maintenance than the overly restrictive three-year period.
“According to the Heritage Impact Statement, the proposed modification presents no heritage impact. It is also important to note that the Office of the Environment and Heritage did not raise any concerns in response to this submission.
“The sign also does not have any impact on the port, its functioning or result in any amenity impacts nor will it impact on the Bays Precinct Urban Renewal Program.”
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