OUTDOOR LED screens will be banned within a 100-meter distance facing residential buildings and will be required to be switched off after 11 p.m., according to guidance on planning and control of outdoor LED screen installations in Shenzhen.

    The guidance, released by the Shenzhen Municipal Urban Administration and Shenzhen Municipal Planning and State Land Resources Commission, said the city will designate restricted areas, limited areas and moderate installation areas for LED screen management, local Chinese-language newspapers reported yesterday.

    A survey showed that the city has 335 outdoor LED screens whose size is larger than 10 square meters and 96 of them are in Luohu District.

    The illumination from the LED screens causes light pollution in the city, because of a lack of unified standards for installation, the guidance said.

    LEDs affect drivers’ judgment at complicated road intersections and rooftop LEDs near residential buildings affect the sleeping patterns of residents.

    The circulatory short video promotions, recruitment information along with the bright flashes, sometimes couple with noise of big speakers, often draw complaints from neighborhood residents, the newspapers said.

    According to the guidelines, LED screens are banned in Dapeng National Geopark in Dapeng New Area, ecological parks and green lands across the city, government and military agencies, cultural and historic sites and pure residential quarters citywide.

    The limited areas include areas designated for entertainment facilities, industrial areas for logistic storage, tourism, cultural and education areas. In these areas the size of the LED screens should be no larger than 800 square meters and the average illumination must be controlled within 300cd per square meter, according to the guidelines.

    The guidelines also limit the LEDs’ illumination period to from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

    The moderate installation areas include port areas, large science parks, large sports and other culture venues and bustling business areas.

    Under the guidelines, the size of a single LED screen in the moderate installation areas should be no larger than 1,000 square meters and the illumination must be controlled to within 500cd per square meter. The screens must be switched off after 11 p.m.

    (Han Ximin)