Fivex’s ‘glaring’ advertising signs prompt City of Melbourne review

A sign which outshone Flinders St station is in the middle of a stoush involving a property developer and City of Melbourne, with Town Hall saying Fivex’s signs are “visual clutter” which detract from the CBD’s skyline views.

City of Melbourne has deemed the Fivex sign too bright.

A corporate sign that the city council deemed too bright and glaring next to Flinders St station has prompted a review of Town Hall’s signs policy for central Melbourne.

City of Melbourne is locked in a legal battle with commercial property developers Fivex over two illuminated signs on top of Riverview House at the corner of Flinders and Elizabeth streets.

The council claimed the signs’ permits expired in May last year, with the Victorian Civic and Administrative Tribunal in January upholding the council’s decision to refuse a new permit.

The row will return to the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on June 25.

In the meantime, the LED signs are now not illuminated at night.

One of the Fivex signs at the southern end of Flinders St. Picture: Supplied

City planning chairman Nick Reece said Town Hall’s Advertising Signage Policy aimed to limit the “negative impact of advertising on public amenity’’.

“This area is an important gateway to the city and we want signage that contributes to its appearance and character including the significant Yarra River corridor,’’ Cr Reece said.

“We do not want signage that detracts from our world-famous skyline or creates visual clutter.

“Earlier this year, VCAT supported our conclusion that the scale of the signage undermines the visual prominence of the historic Flinders Street Station and negatively impacts on public amenity.’’

Fivex managing director Lesli Berger has previously said similar signs had been approved in other cities and that bright signs on the sides of prominent buildings contributed to the city skyline.

Fivex managing director Lesli Berger is defending the company’s CBD signs. Pic: Aaron Francis/The Australian

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The signage policy review comes after the council knocked back a bid to install ­advertising screens on 76 super-sized Telstra payphones on CBD footpaths.

Cr Reece said the new units were “monstrous” in size and that the new structures were nothing more than a grab for advertising space.

“They are advertising billboards masquerading as payphones,” Cr Reece said.

“Melburnians shouldn’t be bombarded with high impact super-sized digital advertising as we walk down the street,’’ Cr Reece said.

Advertising giant JCDecaux is now appealing the council’s refusals in VCAT.

The Melbourne decision was followed by the City of Sydney which was also seeking to limit the clutter on its footpaths.

@IanRoyall

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