A developer has launched a public consultation to gauge local opinion about installing a new state-of-the-art digital screen at Piccadilly Circus in central London. The BBC reports that Criterion Capital intend to submit a planning application to Westminster City Council for permission to hang a new screen on the London Pavilion.
The new digital billboard in the heart of London’s entertainment district would promote West End productions, and also have a live travel and news feed. Piccadilly Circus is a famously hectic junction, which attracts around 100 million tourists every year. There have been giant illuminated billboards at the site since 1908.
The first brand to advertise on the front of the London Pavilion was the rather unglamourous beef flavoured drink, Bovril. Since then, a whole host of household names have adorned the sides of buildings in the area, including Wrigley’s Gum, Gordon’s Gin, and the famous ‘Guinness is Good for you’ campaign—not a claim allowed today!
During the 2000’s, the neon signs were upgraded to LED billboard displays, which can be installed on railings fitted to the side of the building. They can be flexible to fit to curved surfaces, and are transparent when not in use, causing less blockage of light to the interior of the building.
The developers say of their new plans: “The design will be sensitive to the character of the building and the works that will be carried out will preserve its historic features. The historic importance of the London Pavilion will be respected and enhanced to become a key centre of civic communication and a community hub of public information.”
The Piccadilly lights are rarely switched off, except for major events such as state funerals, and for upgrading work, such as when the multiple smaller screens were replaced with a single giant screen in 2017.