A massive KFC advertisement on a listed building in Edinburgh city centre has been replaced after public backlash.
The giant billboard was criticised by conservationists, who strongly hit out against its presence within a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Now, the KFC billboard has been swapped out for a Margot Robbie-led Chanel campaign, after a brief stint as a Sky advertisement.
A large billboard featuring the Australian actress, 35, promotes the firm’s Chanel 25 handbag.
The National previously reported that council planning officials ruled that the KFC sign had breached planning regulations, as it was bigger than what was initially approved.
However, the boffins recommended that no action be taken, as the billboard was temporary and did not pose a risk to public safety.
James Garry, assistant director of the Cockburn Association, Scotland’s oldest conversation charity, said that the “visually intrusive” branding should “concern us all”.
In a blog on the charity’s website, he remarked: “Edinburgh rightly maintains strict controls over conventional signage, yet vast commercial shrouds, often far more visually intrusive, continue to be approved in some of the most sensitive parts of the city.
“Clear limits are needed on the scale, design, and duration of scaffold advertising, particularly within the World Heritage Site, where the protection of key views and settings must be paramount.”
Mr Garry went on to say: “Edinburgh’s historic environment is not a marketing opportunity. It is a civic inheritance of international importance. We support investment, we support conservation, and we recognise the financial realities involved.
Read more:
- 'We need more than tidying up': Inside the battle for the future of Princes Street
- American fast food chain applies to move into Princes Street
- 'People want change': Why this Lib Dem says she can defeat the SNP in Edinburgh
“But that cannot amount to a blank cheque for advertising at any scale, in any location, for any duration.
“The question is no longer whether scaffold advertising should be permitted, but whether we are willing to allow it to steadily erode one of the world’s great historic cities.”
Similarly, Lorna Slater, the Scottish Greens’ candidate for Edinburgh Central, told The National: “The growing presence of oversized corporate advertising on Edinburgh’s historic streets, like the KFC billboard in the city centre, is exactly why so many people feel our architectural character is being steadily eroded in the pursuit of profit.
“This advert sits right in the heart of the constituency I’m standing in, and people here care deeply about how our city looks and feels. They expect the rules to be applied fairly and consistently, not bent for big brands.”
Share