Local residents can oppose new advertising billboards and screens at the planning application stage before they are built.
This is our quick guide to opposing planning applications for new billboards in your area.
You can always write to your local councillors to let them know your views on outdoor advertising and the change you want to see. Be sure to include your postcode so they know you’re a resident of their ward.
Objecting to Planning Applications
1. Search for planning applications
Planning Applications should appear on the local council planning portals. (e.g Bristol City Council Planning Portal , Leeds City Council Planning Portal, or Hackney Borough Planning Portal). You can do a web search for “[Name of Council] Planning Portal” to find yours if you need to.
Once you have found your local planning portal, search current planning applications using key words like ‘advertisement’, ‘advert’, ‘digital’, ‘screen’, ‘illuminated’ or ‘display’.
Local authority planning portals differ in appearance – some are more user-friendly than others. A recent planning application will usually have the year at the start of the planning reference number. E.g In this planning application reference number 25/13392/A refers to the year 2025.
Some Council websites also allow you to register to receive email updates on recent planning applications. This can be very useful, as you can then receive a regular list of planning applications by email to search through.
2. Make your objection
Click ‘make a comment’ (you may need to register on the portal before you can do this), fill in the required details and write your objection.
Under current planning rules, there are two key legal arguments to include in objections to new billboards:
1. Harm to safety – e.g. a big illuminated screen with changing images would pose a danger to car drivers and others on and around the road.
2. Harm to amenity – this is harder to define, but objecting on amenity grounds broadly means that the proposal doesn’t fit with the character, feel and function of the area. You could mention the impact of light pollution from digital screens, the impact on local residents, or the presence of local independent shops, schools, heritage sites or green spaces, for example.
It is worth including other arguments you have (such as energy use of digital screens, the impact on nocturnal wildlife or the impact of excessive consumer advertising on your wellbeing) – but safety and amenity are the legal grounds with which planning applications for new advertising hoardings can be rejected, so make sure you address one or both of those.
3. Spread the word
Anyone can object to new billboard applications! Often they sneak through local planning processes unnoticed. Get your friends in the area to object. The more objections the better – but especially if you live in the council area. You could also say how you use the area e.g you live there, or you cycle, walk or commute to work regularly past the proposed site.
To help spread the word about planning applications where you live we’ve set up an Adfree Cities WhatsApp channel which we use to broadcast any applications we hear about. This is a broadcast only channel, so you won’t get any spam messages. We rely on you to share planning applications with us, so please get in touch whenever you see one appear.
You can also write to your local councillor to share your concerns and ask them to raise an objection as well.
Please let us know about planning applications you object to, and any responses you get from your local councillors.
For more details on how to stop billboards where you live, download our guide to preventing new advertising sites in your community through the planning system: