Plans have been lodged to remove the iconic Radio City 96.7 signage from Liverpool's St Johns Beacon, replacing it with a new animated LED screen. The signage has been in place since 2000, but the radio station relocated in 2024 after rebranding to Hits Radio, leaving the top of the tower vacant.
Heritage Statement Highlights Outdated Signage
A heritage statement attached to the application submitted to Liverpool Council said the new screen would “improve the visual quality of the signage as visible both during the day and in darkness.” The statement added: “St John’ Beacon is continuing to be used to advertise a business that is no longer resident, and which retains no relationship with the building. This also confuses its own identity, giving the incorrect impression that it continues to be occupied by and part of the radio station.”
Permission for the original station signage was granted in 1999 and completed in 2000. According to the heritage statement, the historic LED display has outlived its stay.
Proposed Changes and Heritage Assessment
It is proposed that a new LED signing band replace the lettering in the same position, with no other external modifications to the beacon or tower. Heritage assessments by Donald Insall Associates said upgrading the signage would provide a “slight enhancement, improving the building’s appearance by removing detracting illuminated signage dating from 2000 and now outdated in character and quality and replacing this with attractive lighting with a high-quality, more contemporary, character.”
The new proposed signage is described as “sensitively signed, of a high quality and enhances and improves the building’s existing townscape role and prominence as a landmark and an illuminated feature in the skyline.”
Next Steps for the Plans
No date has yet been confirmed for the plans to go before Liverpool Council’s planning committee for a final decision.
