More digital advertising screens are set to be installed on roads across Liverpool to generate significant income to support vital council services.
A report to the Cabinet today (Friday 22 April) is recommending up to 19 screens are built on 16 routes around the city, in addition to the two which have already been installed on the M62.
It is part of the council’s ‘Outdoor Advertising Framework’ which aims to maximise the advertising potential of the local authority’s land and assets and it is estimated could generate more than £1 million of income each year to help mitigate cuts in Government funding.
Director of Regeneration, Nick Kavanagh, said:
“This is a great example of how we are seeking to make the most of our assets to generate valuable revenue. We have many sites across the city that appeal to advertisers, but in the past we haven’t made the most of them. We know other major cities are bringing in millions of pounds from this sector, so we want to change the way we do things so that we are also well placed to tap into this major income stream. Liverpool is a high-profile, international city, which welcomes many hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year, making us an attractive proposition to advertisers.”
A tender process will see operators able to bid for individual or groups of sites, with construction carried out by either the council or the operator.
The provisional routes that have been identified are subject to technical and legal assessments. The roads and wards they are in are:
- Upper Parliament Street – Riverside
- Great Howard Street – Central/Kirkdale
- Islington – Central/Everton
- Mount Vernon – Picton
- Wapping/Kings Dock – Riverside
- Leeds Street/Pall Mall – Central/Kirkdale
- Sefton Street/Chaloner Street – Riverside
- The Strand – Kirkdale/Everton
- Scotland Road (near Wellington Street) – Kirkdale/Everton
- Victoria Street – Central
- St Marys Road/Garston Way – Speke Garston
- Speke Road/Horrocks Avenue – Speke Garston
- Speke Road/New Mersey Retail Park – Speke Garston
- Speke Hall Road (near Delph Lane) – Speke Garston
- Queens Drive/Utting Avenue – Anfield/Clubmoor
- East Lancashire Road – Croxteth
If the tender process is given the go-ahead, it is expected that contracts will be let by the end of the year and, subject to planning approval, they will be in place from summer 2017.