Edinburgh Omni Centre: Residents react to ‘horrendously bright’ giant LED sign glaring over Picardy Place

The public realm space at Picardy Place was officially opened last month – but only now is it in the spotlight

Edinburgh residents have taken aim at a ‘horrendously bright’ LED display attached to Omni Centre, which they say is a nuisance to pedestrians and a danger to drivers.

The bright advertisement board that looks over Picardy Place is said to be Scotland’s largest LED display but several residents have been left unimpressed with the installation. One described the screen as ‘horrendously bright’ and said that being close to it ‘makes it feel like it’s daylight’.

Another said the light display is ‘absolutely awful’ and said the bright light emitted from the sign contributes to ‘terrible light pollution’ in addition to being ‘potentially dangerous to drivers'.

The large bright LED sign outside the Omni Centre has not been well received by some locals

Responding to a post by Pioneer Group – a firm involved in the LED sign’s construction – on X (formerly known as Twitter), another resident said: “This may be a technical achievement but it ruins the atmosphere of what was previously a relatively pleasant environment. It is far too big and bright for the location in central Edinburgh, adjacent to the Georgian new town. It’s an eyesore and a danger to traffic.”

A reddit thread titled ‘I hate living near the Omni’ also saw residents criticise the illuminated sign, with one having said the bright light gives them a headache each time they look out the window.

Another said: “I was walking past this last night when they switched it on. Took me completely by surprise and actually made my eyes hurt. There could easily have been a traffic accident. It lights up the whole square and completely ruins the atmosphere of the place.”

The Omni Centre and Pioneer Group have been approached for comment.