Policy DH8
Advertisments
The council will require a high standard of design of advertisements, which should be in scale and in keeping with the character of their location and should not have an unacceptable impact on road safety.
The council will resist excessive or obtrusive advertising and illuminated signs which adversely affect the character and appearances of the neighbourhood or the site/building, residential amenity or public safety. The design of advertisements should be appropriate to their context and should generally be restrained in quantity and form.
Illuminated signs will be resisted where there is an impact on the designated SINC sites (Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation). Illuminated signs will not be allowed where there is an impact on designated "low-light areas" as shown on the Policies Map. All applications for illuminated signs must comply with Policy CR13 Light Pollution.
Advertisements should normally be located at ground floor level and in the case of shopfronts and commercial buildings, relate to the commercial zone of the street frontage and the architectural design of the facade.
Hoardings and other large advertisements, such as digital screens, will be acceptable where they are of an appropriate scale with their surroundings and where they do not have a detrimental impact on areas sensitive to visual impact such as heritage assets or their settings, residential properties, open spaces or waterside land.
Advertisements on scaffold shrouds will be permitted where the advertisement would not impose a detrimental impact on the building, street scene or on heritage assets in terms of their size, height or illumination; and where the advertisement would not be harmful to residential amenity or public safety. Where advertisements on scaffold shrouds are considered to be acceptable, they should be accompanied by a 1:1 photographic depiction of the existing building and only be displayed for a limited period related to the reasonable duration of the repair or refurbishment works.
Impact of advertisements
8.58 The display of an advertisement can have a considerable impact on the visual amenity of the street scene if its size, design and siting are handled insensitively. The council takes the view that any advertisements requiring consent should not adversely affect the character and visual amenity of individual buildings and streets. This will be particularly important where advertisements affect the borough's heritage assets or their setting. There is one area of special advertisement control in the borough, namely the Mall Conservation Area.
8.59 All forms of advertisements displayed above ground floor level would in many circumstances result in visual clutter in the street scene and detract from the architectural composition and scale of the buildings to which they relate. Further detailed guidance for shopfronts and advertisements in conservation areas will be provided as part of a Supplementary Planning Document.
Shrouds
8.60 Advertisement shrouds are when commercial advertising forms part of a protective screen secured on scaffolding to screen buildings works being carried out. Buildings that are being renovated or undergoing major structural work and require scaffolding or netting around them, may be considered suitable for temporary advertisement shrouds.
8.61 Advertisement shrouds on heritage assets will only be acceptable where the revenue generated directly contributes to the restoration of the heritage asset. In order to avoid premature or prolonged periods of display, which could be harmful to amenity, the council will require evidence of a signed building contract where the display of an advertisement shroud is linked to building works. Where planning permission for building works is required, consent for an advertisement shroud will only be granted once planning permissions has been granted and all pre-commencement conditions have been discharged.