Giant public screens for Olympics

Up to 28 giant TV screens are to be erected in towns and cities across the UK to televise live action from the Beijing and London 2012 Olympics.

Eight permanent screens and a number of temporary screens are being planned to show this year's event in China.

The aim is to involve the whole of the UK in celebrating the games, the London organisers said.

Critics say the screens will turn towns into versions of an electrical retailer or "outdoor Currys".

Sarah Gaventa, director of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) said: "Just when we're starting to create well-designed, civilised public space in many English towns, along comes a rash of intrusive neon screens.

"Having a fun, relaxed time in our streets and squares should come from the character and design of a place, not something that feels more like an outdoor Currys."

But a spokeswoman for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) said they were in consultation with government, English Heritage and CABE to ensure that "any new live sites work in the best way possible for all involved".

Planning permission for all the screens would be subject to local consultation.

source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7525397.stm

25/07/2008



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