Plans for a giant TV screen in Canterbury city centre have been rejected.

Members of the city council’s executive voted against the idea on Thursday night because they felt its’ proposed locations were inappropriate.

Canterbury had been offered a chance to take part in the cultural initiative, known as The Live Sites Project, by the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (LOCOG).

The 27ft by 12ft screen would have shown images, performances and news 16 hours a day, as well as live action from the 2012 Games.

The offer from LOCOG required a quick decision and city council leader Cllr John Gilbey expressed reservations over a lack of opportunity for proper public consultation.

Listen: John Gilbey explains the decision to Adam Williams >>>

However, Cllr Jean Law was sad to see the idea turned down. She called it “a great missed opportunity for the city’s younger generations to embrace the legacy of the games on their own doorstep.”

Potential sites for the screen were identified in St George’s Street, between Superdrug and Beaverbrooks as well as between New Look and C&H Fabrics.

Had the screen been approved, planning permission would have been needed and the executive felt both sites were far too congested for a public TV screen.

LOCOG is now expected to approach another UK city on its shortlist about the idea – believed to be Oxford.

It plans to have a total of 60 big screens in place across the country by the start of the 2012 Games.