Lobby prods S'pore to open new outdoor sites

SINGAPORE: Advertisers and property owners have successfully lobbied the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) to open up three areas in Singapore for outdoor ads and to ease restrictions on some existing areas by introducing new guidelines. Outdoor billboards can now be placed on buildings at the Marina Centre, Raffles Place and along the Singapore River between Coleman Bridge and Clemenceau Bridge. Easing of restrictions applied to three precincts where outdoor advertising was already permitted - Bugis district; Orchard Road; and China Town, Eu Tong Sen Street and New Bridge Road. The changes mean more outdoor signs can be erected in these areas and in some instances it will be easier to gain approval to have sites illuminated. Ashley Stewart, managing director of JC Decaux, said: "Having these guidelines make it a lot clearer about how and where one can install ad signage on building walls. "In Chinatown, it used to be a real hit and miss situation whenever we wanted to" erect an outdoor billboard. Stewart added: "I think the catalyst for the (renewed) lobbying was the earlier announcement on the bus shelter contract." After it was reported that the contract was worth around S$500 million (US$273 million), some building owners believed they could generate significant sums of money from the outdoor ad industry, he added. But Stewart quickly pointed out the new outdoor sites "aren't going to be a goldmine" because Singapore has plenty of outdoor sites.

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