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MAIDEN OUTDOOR ADVERTISING - PROFITING FROM ILLEGAL BILLBOARDS

On the 10th October 2003, four women were arrested by 2 van-loads of Haringey police for allegedly causing "criminal damage" to a large billboard advertisement owned by Maiden Outdoor Advertising. The criminal damage consisted of putting a message on the hoarding publicising a bookfair.

The billboard concerned is one of three erected last year on Green Lanes, N4, without planning permission.

This hoarding is no exception. In a Council survey of 50 billboards nearby 48 had no planning permission. Many of these boards have Maiden’s name on them, but other companies are just as guilty. This is going on all over London, and all over the country. The women arrested are due to appear at Tottenham Magistrates Court, Lordship Lane, N17 on Tuesday 23rd March at 10am.

HYPOCRISY

Maiden are pushing for prosecution of these women for publicising a community event; meanwhile Maiden and other companies are getting away with damaging our environment, tearing up our pavements, spoiling our views, bombarding us with unsolicited and unwanted product propaganda, flouting planning laws, showing nothing but contempt for local people’s opinions, and making enormous profits as a result!,p> These boards appear on our streets without any consultation with the people who have to walk past them everyday. By disregarding local planning laws, the hoardings companies are avoiding any possibility of facing objections through the formal consultation process.

Imagine what our streets would look like if all advertising hoardings were taken down, or used as community art spaces and notice boards!

Throughout our daily lives we are force-fed advertising - in newspapers, magazines and on TV. Now more and more billboards are being put up on our streets, making it impossible to escape advertising no matter which way we look when we’re out.

This assault on public spaces by advertising companies gives us a warped view of the world. We are constantly being told that the way to improve our lives and gain happiness is to buy more. Never mind that what we are being encouraged to buy might be expensive, harmful to the environment, bad for our health, or just totally unnecessary.