Planning breach confirmed over ‘intrusive’ KFC advert on Princes Street landmark
A massive advertising board on one of Edinburgh’s most famous historic buildings breached planning rules, council documents have revealed.
The giant KFC advert which was mounted on the scaffolding of an A-listed building on Princes Street this month has prompted condemnation among locals and conservationists, who have since criticised the “commercial takeover” of the Capital’s historic environment.
Edinburgh council planning documents show the advertisement board was subject to an inspection in June, in which it was found to appear larger than what had been originally shown on the approved plans.
Officers said that while the advertising space itself was the approved scale, the overall size of the background scaffolding wrap had been reduced due to its proximity to overhead electrical cables, making the advert look bigger.
A city council spokesperson said the width of the shroud was reduced due to an intervention by Edinburgh Trams and the council’s road occupation team.
The planning enforcement team said this change resulted in a technical breach of planning control as it was not in accordance with the approved drawings for the advertising area.
However it was decided that no enforcement action would be taken due to the fact the advert was temporary, having only been approved for a period of 12 months while building works were taking place.
The prominent wrap, which is one of the first things commuters see emerging from Waverley Station, was approved by the council last March on the condition it would be removed after 12 months, or sooner if the building works are completed before then.
A later application to add lighting above the advertising area was initially rejected by the council on the grounds it appeared intrusive and detracted from the appreciation of the nearby listed buildings. However, the Scottish Government later gave consent to the proposed downlighting.
The KFC display has now been removed but has been replaced by an equally-sized advert for the luxury fashion brand Chanel.
It is understood KFC booked the advertising structure as part of a standard process, and the space was offered to the fried chicken chain in its existing size and scale. The company said the advert ran for a planned two-week period and concluded on April 5.
The planning concern raised by the council related to the advertising board itself, not the KFC advert specifically.
Conservationists and historic environment campaigners have expressed concern about the size and position of the advertising board on Princes Street, which falls within the New Town conservation area and the Unesco World Heritage Site.
They said such eye-sores are becoming commonplace across the city and could lead to the erosion of Edinburgh’s architectural and cultural heritage.
James Garry, Assistant Director at Scotland’s oldest conservation charity the Cockburn Association, said: “We are not opposed to scaffold advertising in principle, particularly where it helps fund essential repairs.
“But what we are seeing now goes well beyond moderation. In some of Edinburgh’s most sensitive locations, large-scale commercial wraps are dominating historic façades and key views, and that risks undermining the character that gives the city its international significance.
“The rapid turnover from KFC to Sky to Chanel does not resolve the issue. If anything, it underlines how normalised these interventions have become.
“Whether or not the change was prompted by criticism or the requirements of commercial advertising, the scale and prominence of the advertising remains the concern.
“What is needed now is a clearer, more consistent approach that protects the city’s historic environment while still supporting genuine conservation.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh World Heritage said: “EWH supports the comments made by various organisations on the inappropriate scale and nature of shroud advertisement on Princes Street.
“Even though temporary, its visual impact detracts from the Outstanding Universal Values of the site which merited its inscription 30 years ago.
“It seems clear that the current display exceeds the guidelines in place and we call for urgent enforcement action from the Council to address this, noting that they recommended refusal in the first place and the proposals allowed on appeal to Scottish Ministers.”
A spokesperson for Edinburgh Council said advertising applications are considered on a case-by-case basis.
The six-storey former RW Forsyth department store, most recently home to Topshop, is being refurbished with retail on the ground floor and basement, and a 95-bed Rok hotel and 14-bed Numa hotel on the upper floors.
The Category A-listed property dates back to 1906 and was the first fully steel-framed building in Scotland.
Forsyth's closed in 1983 and the building was sold to the Burton group which later became part of Arcadia.
In 2010 the upper floors were leased to Travelodge and became a budget hotel, but the whole building closed when Arcadia went into administration in 2020.