PLANS to install LED advertising signs on Aberystwyth’s pier have drawn a slew of objections.

Town councillors and scores of residents have voiced their opposition to the plans which they say are likely to be out of keeping with the historic character of the iconic landmark built in 1864.

Owners have applied to Ceredigion County Council planners for two LED display advertising boards, one on the front of the pier, which is the oldest in Wales, and one on the side.

At a full town council meeting on Monday, 27 March, a motion was carried which recommended writing to the pier owners outlining councillors’ objections and concerns – in the hope fears can be addressed before plans go before county council planners later this year.

But Cllr Dylan Lewis-Rowlands said the plans should be ‘rejected entirely’ and read out letters from residents who he said were ‘very angry’.

He said: “The adverts, one will assume, will probably be for things like alcohol – and is that really the desirable first impression we want to give about our pier?

“Modern LED adverts are not in keeping with the heritage of the pier and our historic sea front in general.

“They also might set a precedent and encourage further applications for similar adverts in the future – and spoil the aesthetic of our very pretty sea front.

“And - I think this is a very good point - but why should the pier justify this for commercial gain? If owners really want to draw business, the best thing to do would be to restore it to its former glory, rather than degrading it.”

Cllr Lewis Rowlands and others voiced concerns about the much-loved population of starlings which nest under the pier during certain times of the year - and whose murmurations are now considered one of the town’s marvels by residents and visitors.

Councillors claimed environmental groups had voiced concerns about any bright LED lights interfering with the starlings’ nesting habits and healthy behaviour – and called for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) to be consulted.

Cllr Mair Benjamin said: “It is the royal pier, it’s historic and we’ve tried to keep it looking as we think it should look and I should think the last thing we want are these signs going up now.”

Mayor Cllr Talat Chaudri tempered opposition slightly by suggesting the pier has a right to advertise and should be treated like any other business – but called for more information and criticised the application ‘as not correct and unclear’.

Cllr Alun Williams said he feared the signs might be too large, ‘tacky’ and needlessly bright and added the ‘humans will certainly mind even if the starlings don’t’.

Cllr Jeff Smith said he could not remember a planning application causing such a stir in Aberystwyth for quite some time.

Documents say the large, illuminated boards will measure 5.1m by 1m and 5.7m by 1.9m and will be placed 2.6m and 12m above the ground respectively.

If approved, the LED signs will be placed on the front of the building and on the northern side of the pier, facing Marine Terrace and Constitution Hill.

The proposals are part of long-anticipated plans for a makeover of the pier.