It comes after a large mural advertising James McAvoy’s new movie, California Schemin’, appeared on a gable end near the Barrowland Ballroom.
The mural, which was unveiled at the end of March on the side of coworking and office space hub Glasgow Collective on East Campbell Street, depicts the film’s protagonists, Scottish rap duo Silibil N’ Brains – a Dundonian rap duo who feigned being American rappers from California in order to secure a record deal before they were eventually found out to be pretending.
The mural features the film’s tagline ‘Get Rich or Try Lyin’ and the words ‘California Schemin’ in cinemas April 10′.
Glasgow City Council confirmed to our sister title The Herald that its planning team received no application for planning permission nor any informal enquiries for the mural.
California Schemin’ marks James McAvoy’s directorial debut (Image: Robert Perry/PA)
Under council regulations, if a building is not listed or located in a conservation area, planning permission would not normally be required for a commercial mural.
However, advertising consent would normally be required from the council to display a mural for that purpose, regardless of the location.
It is understood that, to avoid seeking advertising consent and/or planning permission from Glasgow City Council, temporary commercial murals are being commissioned with a lifespan of less than four weeks to effectively “exploit” the “28 day rule” for using land or buildings for an “alternative use” contained within planning regulations for the temporary use of land in The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order.
The provision is often used by event organisers for events such as local fairs and effectively allows for a site to be used without formal planning permission.
In June 2024, a huge mural advertisement dedicated to the Scottish national team appeared on the gable end of a listed tenement building in the Dennistoun area of the city to coincide with the start of the 2024 UEFA European Football Championships.
The artwork, a collaboration between EE and mural production team Mural Republic, was then painted over less than a month after it first appeared.
In February of 2024, a mural commissioned by London-based advertising agency House 337 for banking brand The Current Account Switch Service appeared on the same gable end before disappearing less than a month later, as did a mural commissioned by shoe retailer Clarks to advertise its desert boots in October of 2022.
It is understood that on both occasions, the same Glasgow-based scaffolding firm was hired to paint each mural on the gable end, before being rehired weeks later to paint the murals over black.
In May of 2023, another huge mural, commissioned by RBS, appeared on the side of Victor Paris showroom off the Broomielaw before it too was painted over less than a month later.
Regarded as a creative take on outdoor advertising, big brands often favour mural adverts as they offer a high-impact, artistic, and often more flexible alternative to traditional billboards.
The California Schemin’ mural on the gable wall of Glasgow Collective on East Campbell Street, Glasgow (Image: Colin Mearns)
The appearance, and subsequent disappearance, of temporary mural adverts across Glasgow in recent years has sparked concern that the city’s position as a world-renowned mural art mecca could be at risk from ‘creeping commercialisation’.
Glasgow Labour candidate Paul Sweeney has previously called for an end to the practice of “giving carte blanche to commercial entities to use Glasgow buildings for whatever they see fit”.
Commenting on the appearance of the mural advertising James McAvoy’s new movie, Mr Sweeney said: “The mural is yet another example of commercial advertisers exploiting the ’28-day rule’ under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order which is intended for short-term, community-oriented temporary uses of land like local fairs or events.
“It was not intended to facilitate unauthorised large-scale advertising murals.
“The Scottish Ministers and Glasgow City Council should close this gap and introduce a proper short-term advertising consent procedure for what are effectively ‘billboard mural walls’ to safeguard the city’s streetscape and historic fabric.
“I don’t have a problem with appropriately placed and designed short-term advertising murals, particularly if they help to raise money for the repair and maintenance of historic buildings, or provide income for cash-strapped charities, but the lack of any council permission scheme at all does leave it wide open to abuse and poor quality AI-generated slop being painted in prominent locations across the city.”
The production company behind California Schemin’ has been approached for comment.
