A controversial plan to install a two-sided digital advertising screen on Haslemere’s Junction Place has gone to appeal, after Waverley Borough Council rejected the proposal last month amid widespread objections from residents, councillors and the town council.

The 2.75-metre high freestanding screen was proposed for the wide pavement outside The Vintage Store, near the Wey Hill and Lion Mead junction. Haslemere Town Council opposed the scheme, citing serious safety concerns for both drivers and pedestrians. They warned it could further restrict sightlines for vehicles pulling out of Lion Mead — a junction already made dangerous by pavement parking — and create an obstruction for pedestrians, including wheelchair users, those with prams, and the visually impaired.

Councillor Jacquie Keen said the sign would reduce visibility on a “very busy stretch of road” used by families and children, and described the location as inappropriate. Resident Will van Oppen echoed these fears, calling the site already “severely compromised” for drivers and arguing the sign’s brightness would worsen visibility during low light conditions.

Planning officers refused the application on 20 May, concluding that the screen would add unnecessary visual clutter and have an overbearing impact on the area’s character. But applicant Sandash Punj, who is contracted by Surrey County Council to provide public information displays, is now appealing the decision.

In appeal documents, Punj argues the sign would support emergency and council messaging as well as local business advertising, and that the wide pavement — free of most street furniture — is a suitable site. The digital panels would rotate static images every 10 seconds, dim at dusk, and power down entirely between midnight and 5am. He also notes the presence of taller buildings, lampposts, and a nearby petrol station, stating the sign would not be out of place in this commercial setting.