A LARGE digital billboard would distract drivers on one of the city’s busiest roads, highways officers have claimed.

This summer, Alight Media submitted a planning application to install a six-metre by three-metre digital advertising board in a small car park on Westgate.

The sign would be at the mini roundabout junction where Westgate meets City Road and White Abbey Road.

The company said the billboard, which would switch advertisements every 10 seconds “would not constitute a potentially hazardous distraction to anyone exercising a reasonable standard of care". 

However, highways officers at Bradford Council disagreed, and the plans have now been refused.

Officers said: “The proposed digital advertisement screen will be mounted adjacent to an extremely busy mini roundabout junction of White Abbey Road with City Road and the changing images are likely to distract drivers approaching the roundabout from concentrating fully on other vehicles using the roundabout and/or pedestrians using the crossing facility.

“This raises pedestrian and highway safety concerns.”

Planners also felt the sign would not fit in with the surrounding area, adding: “The scale and type of advertising would not conform with the character of the area.

“It would, therefore harm the amenity of the locality.”