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Planning Permission Issues
A business I am making a sign for is having an unbelievable amout of problems with signage permissions of the local council.
The shop is in a town on the edge of the lake district and the local council is being very very prohibitive in what is acceptable.
I personally never get involved in planning as the time involved can be excessive and even some times out weigh the cost of the signs!
The shop is selling upmarket clothing and the original design (very scripty and swooshy) was classy and very in keeping with the other signs around the town.
Now the local council want the existing fascia to be removed and replaced with something more tradittional (The building was originally a Bank) and the text to be in Times Roman only!
We had already chosen colours of Black Background and Gold lettering.
But changing the letterstyles to Times Roman makes it look like an Antique Shop (which is what I think they really want)!!!!!How can I either cheat or work around the council permissions as I do not want to create something so awfull.
Others must have had similair incedents with these issues and your help would be most appreciated.Thanks
SC -
9 Replies
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tell em to get a life.
To dictate what font to use (especially TR) is ridiculous.
I’m all for signage in keeping with the surroundings but sometimes I feel these people have nothing better to do half the time.
I had one where the council wanted to know haw many fixings I was to use on a sign, as they didn’t want too many. This was going on a wall where we had removed separate letters on locators and was staying as is, so looked like it had been blasted with a machine gun.
I believe once the council are contacted on such things you open up a big can of worms and wait months.
If you just put the sign up no one is none the wiser.Good Luck
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Are you saying that they are changing their facia sign because the council have told them to? If that’s the case I would get them to speak to their local MP not sure they have the power to do that.
Ask the traditional sign writers on here to suggest some fonts, if it’s done in a traditional sign writing font then you have a case for it being traditional they can’t argue with.
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In our small town, they are doing the same, they are trying to get away from the lightboxes etc.
Fast food takeaways are being told to have flat cut acrylic or 3d lettering with not light shining towards the road.
We did a chippy and the only thing they would except was mounded lettering, and they suggested it be held on with Velcro!!!! because they didn`t want the building to have lots of holes drilled into it.
Let the customer sort it out, do it to what the planning want, you don`t want to be in a situation where you have not been paid yet and the council tell the owners to take it down.
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I feel sorry for the customer and I want to do something to try and at least compromise with the local council.
Many years ago I dealt with the planning for a sign in Carlisle (this is one of the main reasons I no longer deal with planning) for a fast food takeaway and the planning department were being complete unobliging.
They stated No Neon, No Illumination, No Aluminium, No Acrylic in fact all they wanted was wooden painted fascias with real signwritten graphics!
Luckily for me and the customer Carlisle City Council published a glossy 8 page guide on the specification and what the signs round the area should look like and how they should be constructed.
I did say luckily didn’t I?
Out of the maybe 20 signs in the leaflet 8 of them I had either made or serviced in the past. And all of them either had neon, illumination, aluminium or acrylic in their construction! Which completely went agains the guidlines they had drawn out.
Needless to say we came to a compromise with the planners as they were did not have a leg to stand on.SC
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Hi Shaun,
I’m not sure if it will answer your specific question, but try looking at, or forwarding to your client, this:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s … 326679.pdf
And if you or they still have a real problem there is a consultant specialising in Planning issues (he actually wrote the legislation but supports sign makers and advertisers rather than (:) planners ) – but he obviously charges.
If you pm me with the details I could see if he can help and get him to contact you/the client. I cant put his details in the public domain (i.e. posted on here) without his permission, obviously. -
Mike, the guide is all well & good, I have been using it for years but the main problem with it is that it is still open to interpretation & my local Councils interpretation seems to be completely different to mine :lol1: :lol1:
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@ Martin. I understand. However not everyone may be aware of that booklet.
I am not a planning expert, but understand that Councils might try (and think they can) interpret the rules – however, they should not. The law is reasonably clear, I believe. Unless special conditions apply, the Council can only object on grounds of safety or amenity.
I know the BSGA objects to inaccurate or misleading local plans but can only do so much with the resources available. -
The guide is pretty helpful as an indication, but it’s been written for England…wonder if there is an equivalent for us up in Scotchland?
Dave
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Hi, Certainly Scotland is different and I think Wales users English guidance for now! All very helpful – not! I dread to think what it will be like if all countries separate – like Italy where every town has different planning laws, or the USA where there are Federal (whole country), State and City ordinances. I really hope we do not end up the same way – its clearly bad enough now.
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