Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower set to have new adverts on it as part of partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support

Advertisements could soon be placed on the Spinnaker Tower, with planning permission set to be approved by Portsmouth City Council who will meet next week.

Although it was announced by the two organisations at the beginning of the month, the arrangement is conditional on new advertising being approved for the legs of the tower and entrance signs. A planning application was submitted by the city council at the same time as the announcement and this will be determined by members of the council’s planning committee on Wednesday, May 31. And a report published ahead of the meeting recommending permission is granted said: ‘The proposed advertisements are considered to be appropriate and supportable’.

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The new arrangement will see the cancer charity become the new ‘presenting partner’ for the council-owned tower and it is hoped this will raise awareness of the work it does in the city and nationally. The council said it would benefit financially through ‘income’ from the deal. The £100,000 partnership is due to start next month.

New advertising, should it be approved, would see the charity’s logo displayed on one of the tower’s legs alongside new signs throughout the site. The tower will neither be renamed nor repainted.

It was previously renamed to the Emirates Spinnaker Tower under a five-year sponsorship with the airline that started in 2015. The decision to paint the tower red and white sparked controversy and prompted the decision to repaint it blue and yellow.

Councillor Steve Pitt, the leader of the council, welcomed the deal, describing it as ‘a change of direction’ from the previous sponsor.

‘It is important to us that we joined forces with an organisation that provides real benefits to the people in our communities and Macmillan certainly does that,’ he said. ‘As a major UK landmark, the Spinnaker Tower attracts visitors from all over the world and provides an opportunity for us to forge partnerships like this that generate income which can be invested back into services for the local community.’

Macmillan Cancer Support’s brand and marketing director Anthony Newman said he hoped the sponsorship would raise the charity’s profile.

‘The Spinnaker Tower is one of the most iconic buildings in the south of England and this is a brilliant opportunity for Macmillan to reach more people affected by cancer,’ he said. Locally, the Macmillan Information and Support Centre at Queen Alexandra Hospital provides invaluable support to cancer patients and their families and, through the fundraising events and activities that can take place as part of this partnership, we hope to strengthen that.’