Leicester City Council may pull the plug on giant TV screen in Humberstone Gate
Leicester city centre's giant television could be dismantled or relocated now the Olympics and Paralympics have ended.
The £500,000 screen was installed in Humberstone Gate in 2009 to show major national sporting events, news and music events, but its main purpose was always to show live footage from this summer's London Games.
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Crowds in Humberstone Gate watching the big screen
Now 2012's summer of sport has ended, city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has to decide what to do with the screen, that costs Leicester City Council £105,000 a year to run and maintain.
It was donated by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
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Sir Peter said: "I think everyone would agree the screen has been great with the way it has shown coverage of the Olympics.
"It has been, but it does come with a significant cost attached to it.
"There is the question of what it will show now and I am not certain there are that many events that could be screened.
"It has been used to show opera and music events, but the sound is probably not good enough for that.
"Basically, there are three options. It could be left where it is, it could be removed entirely or it could be relocated. It has been suggested it could be put in a park.''
Sir Peter said it has also been suggested it could form a part of his proposed £4 million Jubilee Square project, which will see St Nicholas Place turned into a public plaza.
However, he said: "I'm not so sure about that. What happens to the screen is something I will take a look at."
Shoppers in the city centre are divided about the worth of the 10- metre high screen.
Bill Vickers, 78, from Evington, said: "I thought it was a bit unusual when it was first put there, but now it is a proper part of the city centre and I could not imagine what it would be like without it.''
Anisha Bhawar, 35, from Belgrave, said: "It's a good focal point for events in the city centre, though I am not a massive sports fan and that's all it has been showing. It's a feature that makes the city centre a bit different to other places."
Builder Terry Strong, 46, from Enderby, said: "I can't see the point in it any more. When it is on throughout the day without a specific event, I don't think many people pay much attention to it.
"I imagine there is a fair old whack to pay in electricity bills and it's less than environmentally- friendly to keep it running."
Kevin Haskell, 18, unemployed from Highfields, said: "There's a lot of news shown on it on repeat and it gets a bit boring. When they decided not to show the England (football) games in the Euros this summer it became a bit pointless."
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Comments
by fionaran
Tuesday, September 18 2012, 7:10PM
“Maybe Rio would like it their preparations...................”
by New_Walk_View
Tuesday, September 18 2012, 4:33PM
“If it really did cost half a million pounds then there should be a fair bit of residual value left after only three years' depreciation.
Isn't the obvious answer to sell it?”
by Chappy1884
Tuesday, September 18 2012, 8:53AM
“City C10 - a waste of the Taxpayers money removing it?
as it's installation came from LOCOG so that cost the tax payer nothing (as far as Leicester is concerned).
The running costs are estimated at 105k PA (including maintenance).
I would probably support moving it to somewhere like the food court at fosse park, like the one in Sheffield. but it's maybe a tad large. Or see if the Tigers want to buy it for Welford Road, I certainly wouldn't just ditch it.”
by fionaran
Monday, September 17 2012, 11:27PM
“Great news that the Giant TV may go. It drones on and unlike at home you cant turn it off : nobody watches it much. The Olympics and Paralympics were great: but the TV is a bit of legacy we dont need and does not enhance the Townscape. £105,000 can be better spent elsewhere.”
by llamalamb
Monday, September 17 2012, 9:20PM
“It reminds me of the huge propaganda screens in Blade Runner. It's too loud and intrusive into a nice area of the city centre.”
by amoros11
Monday, September 17 2012, 8:28PM
“At least Ross Wilmott had some kind of progressive vision with The Leicester Regeneration Project. Big s screens were installed in many UK cities but it appears Sir Peter s vision for the City is one of a cheap low budget local provincial persona, where we are unable to compete with other national cites or the times
On the subject of eyesores', maybe flooding the entire centre with seventies tents and marquees from the Euro Market and a tacky fair 4 times a year is more to everyone's taste , something Sir Peter can afford.”
by DBLeicester
Monday, September 17 2012, 7:45PM
“graydjames - you forget that this Country is still having to borrow £10 billion a month to stay afloat and that a monstrous TV in the middle of the street is no more cultural then most things that seem to be labelled as such nowadays. Wasting vast amounts of money on a big screen like this when the Leicester City Council had clear evidence how much it was going to cost to maintain in the beginning was just not justified. Other Cities have had theirs taken down previously probably due to the same reason - a complete waste of money, time and effort.”
by karinfall1955
Monday, September 17 2012, 6:22PM
“@graydjames. I am all for roundabouts bedecked with flowers, improved waterfronts and think France is beautiful; I just think it is nice to escape the 'idiot lantern' once in a while and not to be confronted with a giant one when out and about, that's all!”
by prog_rock_fan
Monday, September 17 2012, 5:48PM
“The sooner this obnoxious, bellowing monstrosity is gone, the better.”
by graydjames
Monday, September 17 2012, 5:43PM
“I find this whole thing bizarre and I must say I am surprised by the negative comments towards this screen - especially karinfall's which in my view is totally unfair and unreasonable and the reference to cyclist is mischievous - but not the silly ones criticising the Mayor (I've got to the stage where I expect these every day and I just ignore them as coming from people on some kind of hate campaign band wagon).
I didn't even realise the screen was there for the Olympics. It has been there some time and whenever I have passed - admittedly always on a Saturday or Sunday - it has been showing some programme or another, not always sport, and there has usually been groups gathered around. I think it is (was?) a good thing, giving vibrancy and atmosphere to the town.
The trouble is with this country is we have no pride in our community. As soon as anyone wants to spend money on building a square, putting flowers on a roundabout, improving the waterfront or all kinds of similar projects, everyone screams that it is a waste of money. In fact it is just another way of spending money and I believe this to be a cultural thing. In France, for example, a totally opposite attitude is taken which is why towns and villages are always decked with flowers, considerbaly cleaner than UK towns and cities and all with village squares, halls and more.”