CHIS Streetscape- Advertising Policy
Maggie ShaplandStreetscape- the term which describes all that one sees in a street in addition to buildings, such as pavements, street furniture, traffic and other signs. Whereas attention is often paid to preserving buildings, especially in Conservation Areas, the streetscape is often overwhelmed by unecessary clutter and poor workmanship. This page identifies the policy.
The council's advertisement control powers are only exercisable in the interests of amenity and, where applicable, public safety. It is these material considerations, rather than commercial need or advantage, which must be decisive in the determination of any advertisement application. Advertisements should not obstruct visibility, interfere with the interpretation of road signs or traffic signals, or distract the attention of drivers.
- None illuminated signs are preferable.
- Illuminated advertisements may be acceptable where they are adequately screened from residential property or are essential for the operation of a business, open after normal shopping hours. Not usually allowed in a conservation area.
- High up signs more visual impact so not usually to be found in conservation areas
- In or adjoining conservation areas and on listed buildings, or in a position which would affect the setting of a listed building, the protection of amenity will be the paramount consideration. Advertisements should harmonise with the architectural features of any building on which they are displayed and not otherwise detract from the appearance of the conservation area or listed building.
Advert examples and planning applications.
Because it is against the law to display advertising which do not fall under the permitted classes of 2007 regulations without planning permission, enforcement is taken very seriously. The Council rely on the public to inform them of illegal advertising (enforcement.management@bristol.gov.uk, or the fly posting page on the Council website).
Contact the planning department development.management@bristol.gov.uk, tel: 0117 922 3000. By appointment to Brunel House St George's Road Bristol BS1 5UY. Planning application numbers for permission for advertising have suffix /A.
How to look to see if a banner has permission, and examples of applications
Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisement) 2007 Regulations
permits notices or signs which relate to:- Class 1 those which are needed by public bodies (such as government departments and local authorities, the public utilities and public transport operators)
to give information or directions about the services they provide.
Advertisements must not exceed 1.55 square metres in area and a reasonable degree of illumination is allowed to enable the information or directions to be read in hours of darkness. - Class 2(A) displayed on buildings or land as a means of identification, direction or warning.
Must not exceed 0.3 of a square metre in area. Illumination is not allowed - Class 2(B) a person, partnership or company is carrying on a profession, business or trade at those premises.
An advertisement in Class 2(B) must not exceed 0.3 of a square metre in area, but if there is more than one entrance to the premises on different road frontages, two advertisements of 0.3 of a square metre each may be displayed (on a separate frontage) - Class 2(C) any religious, educational, cultural, recreational, medical or similar institution; or any hotel, inn or public house, block of flats, club, boarding-house or hostel;
provided that the
advertisement is displayed at the premises and
does not exceed 1.2 square metres in area.
If there is more than one entrance to the premises on different road frontages, two advertisements of 1.2 square metres each may be displayed (each on a separate frontage).Any advertisement in Class 2B and 2C may be illuminated, with deemed consent, if the illumination is intended to indicate that medical or similar services or supplies are available at the premises.
No letters, figures, symbols or similar features included in the advertisement in Class 2 may be over 0.75 of a metre in height, or 0.3 of a metre in height if the premises are in any Area of Special Control of Advertisements. - Class 3 gives consent for a wide variety of notices and signs which are usually displayed to publicise a forthcoming event, or to advertise a short-term use of the advertisement site.
- Class 3(C) permits firms or individuals who are carrying out building, engineering or construction work to advertise the fact at the site. One firm or individual may display their own
advertisement board,
provided it does not exceed 2 square metres; but if all those engaged on the contract rely on a single advertisement board, it can have a total area of 2 square metres, plus a further 0.4 of a square metre for each additional firm or person mentioned on the board. - Class 3(D) permits temporary notices or signs which are intended to advertise any local event being held for charitable purposes, which may be religious, educational, cultural, political, social or recreational, but not for any commercial purpose. Must not exceed 0.6 of a square metre
- Class 5: advertisements on business premises. Must not have any letters, figures, symbols or similar features in the design over 0.75 of a metre in height; have its highest part at more than 4.6 metres above ground-level; have its highest part above the level of the bottom of the first-floor window in the wall where the advertisement is; be illuminated, unless the illumination is intended to indicate that medical or similar services or supplies are available at the premises
- Class 6: advertisements on forecourts of business premises. signs or advertisements. Must be at ground-level. total permitted area for all forecourt advertisements must not exceed 4.6 square metres on each forecourt frontage to the premises. So a building with two forecourt frontages may have advertisements not exceeding 9 square metres in all, provided that those on each frontage do not exceed 4.6 square metres. Forecourt advertisements must not be illuminated in any circumstances.
- Class 16: advertisements on telephone kiosks. Allows the display of an advertisement on the glazed surface of a telephone kiosk, other than a kiosk of type K2 (1927) or K6 (1935) designed by Giles Gilbert Scott. No advertisement may be displayed in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a Conservation Area, a National Park, the Broards or an Area of Special Control of Advertisements; Illumination is not permitted. With the exception of the name of the electronic communications code operator, its trading name or symbol, no advertisement may be displayed on more than one face of the kiosk.
- Some frequently displayed types of advertisement for which you need the planning authority’s consent are:
- virtually all posters;
- some illuminated signs;
- fascia signs and projecting signs on shop-fronts or business premises where the top edge of the sign is more than 4.6 metres above ground level;
- most advertisements on gable-ends.
- Listed buildings
PAN8 Bristol Shopfront Guidelines
O b j e c t i v e Shop signs or projecting signs should be of a suitable size, use appropriate methods of illumination and be located within the traditional fascia area. Advertising should be restricted to that necessary to identify the name and service of the shop and should be sensitively integrated into the overall shopfront design.New fascia boards should not project beyond the original facade. Modern factory produced fascias of plastic, acrylic or similar materials, often internally illuminated, are out of place on buildings of traditional design. These fascias will only usually be acceptable on modern buildings. Here they must be appropriately integrated into the overall shopfront design, and of an appropriate size.
Projecting signs are acceptable if they are of the traditional hanging style with a modern design and meet the following criteria.
- They should be small and neat and constructed of materials which complement the shopfront eg. wrought iron, stove enamelled metal sheets or painted.
- There should be no more than one projecting sign for each shopfront.
- They should generally be in line with the fascia panel positioned centrally on a pilaster and not positioned above fascia level.
- The maximum size should be approximately 600mm high and 400mm wide. The bulky type, commonly used in modern shopfronts, and formed by a box steel casing with illuminated acrylic panels, downgrades the appearance of a shopfront and is not recommended.
Vehicle Advertising
- It is illegal to place a vehicle or article on a public road or in a public place for the purposes of advertising without prior approval from council. This also includes the advertising of a vehicle for sale. A person who fails to obtain approval from the council or who carries out an activity not in accordance with an approval is committing an offence and may be issued with a penalty notice. Activities that require approval from local council are as stipulated in the Local Government Act 1993, Part F (7) - Use a standing vehicle or any article for the purpose of selling any article in a public place.
National Planning Policy Framework
Considers cumulative impact.- paragraph 67 states that poorly placed advertisements can have a negative impact on the appearance of the built and natural environment. Control over outdoor advertisements should be efficient, effective, and simple in concept and operation. Only those advertisements which will clearly have an appreciable impact on a building or their surroundings should be subject to the local planning authority's detailed assessment. Advertisements should be subject to control only in the interests of amenity and public safety, taking account of cumulative impacts.
- Paragraph 68 Where an area justifies a degree of special protection on the grounds of amenity, an Area of Special Control Order14 may be approved. Before formally proposing an Area of Special Control, the local planning authority is expected to consult local trade and amenity organisations about the proposal. Before a direction to remove deemed planning consent is made for specific advertisements,15 local planning authorities will be expected to demonstrate that the direction would improve visual amenity and there is no other way of effectively controlling the display of that particular class of advertisement. The comments of organisations, and individuals, whose interests would be affected by the direction should be sought as part of the process.
Bristol Policy
April 2013: In terms of powers to control advertisements, these are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) England) Regulations 2007. The regulations define control specifically in terms of amenity and public safety. Whilst it is possible to have regard to development plan policies in making decisions on advertisements, they cannot alone be decisive.The policies in the Core Strategy and Site Allocations and Development Management Policies provide a very clear framework which can be taken into account in informing judgements about the amenity and safety impacts of advertisements. In particular, Core Strategy Policy BCS21 Quality Urban Design sets the tone by requiring new development to deliver high quality urban design and to contribute positively to an area's character and identity. Development Management Policies DM26 Local Character and Distinctiveness and DM29 Design of New Buildings and Core Strategy Policy BCS23 Pollution (which deals with light pollution) would also be particularly relevant.
The powers in the regulations (and the content of the development plan policies) allow factors such as the illumination of signs to be taken into account in assessing amenity and safety considerations. In that respect, they are able to respond to changing technology.
Taken together, the planning department would consider that the powers in the regulations, the Core Strategy and development plan policies, and the role of designations such as conservation areas, provide reasonably robust safeguards against harmful impacts of outdoor advertisements.
- Core Strategy BCS21 quality urban design- expected to contribute positively to an area's character and identity, creating or reinforcing local distinctiveness
- Core Strategy: BCS22 aims to safeguard and enhance heritage assets. Large plastic banners do not enhance a grade II* property in the Clifton Conservation area and thus this policy is broken.
- Core Strategy: BCS23 aims to avoid adverse impact on environmental amenity (light pollution)
- Development policy DM26 harmful to local character and distinctiveness, view, landmark, height, scale
- Development policy DM27 The layout, form, pattern and arrangement of streets, open spaces, development blocks, buildings and landscapes should contribute to the creation of quality urban design and healthy, safe and sustainable places.
- Development policy DM28 Development should create or contribute to a safe, attractive, high quality, inclusive and legible public realm that contributes positively to local character and identity and encourages appropriate levels of activity and social interaction.
- Development policy DM29 Shopfronts will be expected to have regard to the host building and the wider street scene in terms of the scale, proportion and overall design and to provide independent ground floor front access to upper floors. External signage will be expected to adopt a scale, detail, siting and type of illumination appropriate to the character of the host building and wider street scene. External installations and security measures should be carefully integrated into the overall design of the host building with the aim of avoiding harm to the appearance of the building and achieving desirable design outcomes.
- Development policy DM30 As set out in policy BCS23 of the Core Strategy, excessive levels of air, land and water pollution have the potential to impact adversely on environmental amenity, biodiversity and, both directly and indirectly, on health and wellbeing. Light pollution relevent
- Development policy DM31 seeks to enhance the asset or its setting, and ensure the significance is not compromised. Clifton Character Appraisal: describes a main issue affecting the area being poor quality shopfronts and signage in section 9.
- Development policy DM33 Light pollution occurs when the night sky, important views or other properties close to development sites become unduly lit by excessive or poorly directed lighting. Light pollution can be mitigated by reducing the overall levels of lighting and ensuring that light is directed away from the sky and nearby light-sensitive development such as housing. Where necessary, the council will request a lighting plan setting out how light pollution resulting from a proposed development will be minimised.
- B11 (to be replaced) Advertisements: Illuminated Signs
The introduction or replacement of illuminated signs will be permitted where:–- (i) The design adopts a scale, detail and siting appropriate to the character and detail of the buildings.
- (ii) The design or siting does not constitute a traffic hazard.
- 4.4.30 Illuminated signs and commercial displays can, if well designed, be used to brighten and enliven the city’s commercial centres. Care should be taken however to relate their scale, siting and design to the buildings or spaces with which they are associated. Furthermore, in the interests of public safety, illuminated displays should not confuse, conflict or obscure any functional signage or traffic signals.
- 4.4.31 In particularly sensitive areas such as Conservation Areas or residential areas, internally illuminated box fasçias and projecting box signs can be obtrusive and can harm the appearance of a traditional shop, the character of a street or the residential amenity. This type of sign is not generally suitable in Conservation Areas or on traditional buildings where it is preferable to illuminate fasçia signboards and projecting signs with unobtrusive external spotlights. Alternatively individually illuminated letters or symbols on an opaque signboard may be considered. No more than one fasçia sign and one projecting or hanging sign should normally be installed on any building.
- 4.4.32 In considering proposals for illuminated signs and advertising, the city council will restrict the siting to minimise their impact upon historic environments of the city. Further information and detailed design guidance can be found in the Policy Advice Note 8: ‘Shopfront Guidelines’.
- B12 (to be replaced) Outdoor advertisement hoardings will be permitted where they:–
- (i) Are well designed, together with additional landscape treatment where appropriate, and respect the scale and character of the surrounding area, and the architectural composition of any building to which they might be attached;
- (ii) Do not have an unacceptable impact on visual amenity or public safety;
- (iii) Are located in commercial or mixed use areas.
- 4.4.33 Large poster displays can have a considerable impact on the overall appearance of the urban area. In predominantly commercial areas or along major transport routes hoardings may be acceptable but should be in keeping with the scale of adjacent buildings, with consideration given to the use of appropriate landscape and boundary treatments to lessen any adverse impact on the surrounding area. Hoardings usually appear out of scale and out of place in residential areas or in sensitive historical locations.
- 4.4.34 Proposals to locate poster display panels on existing buildings should be of an appropriate scale, preferably restricted to flank walls or blank elevations where they do not cut across or compromise any architectural features.Where necessary the city council will take steps to remove inappropriate advertisements in order to remedy injury to the local amenity or remove a danger to members of the public.
- PAN14: Advertising: The appearance of a building or street can be spoilt by poorly-designed, excessive or insensitively placed signage or advertising.
Outdoor advertisements are often added to a building as an afterthought rather than being integrated into a comprehensive design solution.
It is helpful to consider shop advertising as two types - ‘informative’ and ‘promotional’.
- Informative advertising includes such items as the firm’s name, the street number of the shop and the nature of the business. This is necessary information for the shopper and can be accommodated within a single fascia without the need for additional signage.
- Promotional advertising includes over-intense use of signs which are bigger and brighter than their neighbours, posters and stickers. Too many signs on buildings bring confusion and clutter to a street and downgrade its image. Such advertising will be strongly discouraged by the City Council. Designers should be prepared to compromise on matters of corporate image in sensitive areas. Forecourt advertising should not be excessive or cause obstruction.
- A boards
- 4.11 Any business should only display one “A” Board.
- 4.13 It is not permitted to fix/chain boards or adverts to any bollard or piece of street furniture.
- 4.14 Placing “A” Boards in sensitive areas such as conservation areas or close to listed buildings can be unacceptable because of the adverse impact that the proliferation of such displays can have on visual amenity. As such particular attention will be paid to the visual amenity consideration of the ‘”A” Boards in such locations.
Bristol City Council has more details on the planning page.