Letter: Guildford is Under Attack from Advertisers

Published on: 10 Feb, 2025
Updated on: 10 Feb, 2025

From John Harrison

Guildford is under attack. A wave of big TV screen advertisements are proposed for an unsuspecting public. Some by Global (Europe’s biggest developer of advertising facilities) have already been approved and erected.

For example, at the lower end of North Street, or near the train station entrance. But others have recently been refused by Guildford Council, for example from BT for yet another one on North Street a few yards from their existing one outside the Friary.

The latest salvo for 11 more is from local company Trueform Engineering.

A diagram of one of the advertising screens as included in the planning application.

Incredibly, Surrey County Councillor Matt Furniss (Conservative Cabinet member for Highways, Transport, and Economic Growth, also a borough councillor for Pilgrims ward) has written in support saying that for four years, he has been trying to bring advertising into the county.

These 11 proposals are part of 50 countywide that if successful would surely be a mere toe in the water given the 10 year partnership with SCC.

Cllr Furniss says the county will receive some payment, whereas none is payable for the existing units, but does not disclose how big a contribution towards the £288 million spent by Surrey on Place it will be. I suspect it will be insignificant.

The Surrey Scholar

These are the actions of someone who feels everything should be monetised. Guildford would benefit from more public planting for example some trees, some useful street furniture – benches and cycle stands, another statue or piece of public art or just some space within which people can raise their gaze above shop displays and take in the quality of the town or views to the distant hills.

But no. A big TV screen advertisement will be shoved in front of you, changing the display every 10 seconds to grab your attention. Never mind your priorities: shut up and pay attention to our propaganda machine. Obstructing the pavement and distracting drivers? We are selling it off for a couple of quid. What tosh!

And there is every possibility that these advertisements will, without any further discussion, be turned into hubs, the real purpose of which is to harvest the data on your phone as you walk by.

Laws prevent them from doing this in private spaces, so a real war is underway for public locations that can track where you go, what you do, and how you respond to advertisements shown to you on your screen earlier in the day.

This is not 1984-type government dictator surveillance, but modern commercial big tech surveillance.

Come to think of it. There is an unholy alliance developing between big tech and extreme politics. Look at what is happening in the USA.

Advertising Screen North Street (click for video)

These big (2.75 metre high) commercial monstrosities do not belong in Guildford.

Advertising screens Cllr Matt Furniss’ letter

It is outrageous that our politicians should be supporting them in a 10-year partnership! Where in their manifestos was a policy to bring advertising into the towns of Surrey. What could be more misguided? And why, they might think, stop at the town? There’s loads of roadside verge to exploit. Just marvel at the adverts above the A3 in New Malden that span six carriageways.

In pre-application discussions, Guildford planners have indicated that seven of the proposals are likely to be unacceptable and four are likely to be acceptable.

The four are: 1. outside McDonald’s on the busy gyratory, 2. outside Ladymead Retail Park on the A25 opposite Furniture Village (already an area very hostile to pedestrians), 3. in the middle of the triangular land forming part of the pedestrian crossing outside the Friary and Wetherspoons, where someone was killed by a vehicle a few years ago [after which the raised table was installed at a cost I believe of £40,000], and 4. on the corner of Epsom Road near G Live, outside which is an excellent example of high-quality landscaping that shows what should be done to enhance our town.

As representatives of the people, councillors should aim to improve the quality of life and protect citizens from the ravages of extreme commercialism. They should not be lobbying on behalf of commercial enterprises in the hope that they might help in future with the election expenses for an aspirant politician.

Guildford Borough Council, the current planning authority, has refused and defended at appeal the
most egregious TV advert proposals but under the expected unitary authorities what defence will there be against misguided, countywide initiatives?

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