Other policies

1 Purpose

1.1 The policy aims to cover outdoor advertising within the Bracebridge Heath parish area and will outline the standard conditions that must be met by any outdoor advertisements.

2 Scope

2.1 This policy and the advertising control system covers a wide range of advertisements and signs including:-

• Posters and notices
• Placards and boards
• Fascia signs and projecting signs
• Pole signs and canopy signs
• Models and devices
• Advance signs and directional signs
• Estate agents’ boards
• Captive balloon advertising
• Flag advertisements
• Price markers and price displays
• Traffic signs
• Town and village name signs

2.2 Outdoor advertisements are dealt with under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007. For additional information please refer to Outdoor advertisements and signs: a guide for advertisers (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2007) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/11499/326679.pdf

2.3 The control of advertising in this village is under the control of the Local Planning Authority, North Kesteven District Council. They are responsible for deciding whether a particular advertisement should be permitted or not. The regulations cover the wide range of advertisements and signs which are commonly seen outdoors.

2.3.1 All outdoor advertisements must comply with the following five ‘standard conditions’:

• Be kept clean and tidy;
• Be kept in a safe condition;
• Have permission of the owner of the site/land;
• Not obscure or hinder the interpretation of official road signs, etc;
• Be removed carefully where so required by the Planning Authority.

2.3.2 Under the Town & Country Planning Regulations 2007 there are 16 specified classes of advertisement which can be displayed without the need to make an application to NKDC. These include the following:

Class 1 – Functional advertisement by public bodies.

Class 2(c) – Notices or signs relating to Public Houses which are displayed at the premises - only one sign is allowed, without Planning Permission, on each frontage and must not be more than 2 m2 in area.

Class 3(d) – Temporary notices for a local and charitable event – this does not include commercial events. The advert must not be more than 0.6 m2 in area.

Class 5 – Advertisement on business premises (not on public property) for goods or services - which are available at the premises. There are restrictions on the size of letters and location of the sign on the premises but these would not normally cause a problem for the business.

Class 6 – Advertisements on forecourts of business premises – adverts allowed under Class 5 above are also allowed to be displayed on a private forecourt or boundary structure which encloses that forecourt.

2.3.3 Identification signs on business premises

Anyone intending to erect signs advertising a business on their own premises needs to ensure that they comply with the relevant legislation. Advice should be sought from North Kesteven District Council as the Local Planning Authority.

2.3.4 ‘A’ Boards

‘A’ boards are permitted on private property. However, the displaying of ‘A’ boards on public highways or footpaths is not permitted by law.

2.3.5 Signs in shop windows

The regulations do not generally control advertisements placed inside the premises to advertise the goods or services which are available at the premises.

3 Election display material

3.1 Material displayed by candidates, agents, parties, organisations or individuals relating to a referendum or a pending Parliamentary, European Parliamentary or local government election is subject to an exclusion from direct control under the rules referred to above. Anyone wishing to display material for these purposes needs to observe the requirements relating to the imprint which must be included on such advertising by law. These advertisements must be removed no more than 14 days after the close of the poll. For further details see http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/141788/Part-4-Thecampaign-LGEW.pdf

4 Planning notices

4.1 It is accepted that North Kesteven District Council as the Local Planning Authority will place notices of consultation regarding planning applications near the properties under consideration. Lincolnshire County Council may place similar notices regarding highways or other consultations. These notices together with cable ties or other methods of fixing should be removed as soon as possible after the printed closing date and disposed of carefully.

5 Bus shelters

5.1 Bus shelters within Bracebridge Heath are owned by Bracebridge Heath Parish Council. All bus shelters are expected to display ‘No Smoking’ signs in accordance with current legislation. Timetable information is displayed courtesy of Stagecoach Group plc and Lincolnshire County Council on the bus stop signs provided for that purpose. Notices may be displayed on boards attached to shelters on Sleaford Road and Grantham Road. Notices placed within or on the structure of bus shelters or bus stops will be considered fly-posting and removed.

6 Fly Posting

6.1 Flyposting can occur in a range of locations. These include, but are not limited to:

• road verges;
• telegraph poles;
• lamp posts;
• road signs;
• litter and dog bins;
• bus shelters;
• fences and railings;
• post boxes;
• telephone kiosks;
• utility junction boxes;
• other structures;
• trees.

6.2 The Parish Council strongly disapproves of all forms of fly posting, which it considers can have a significant adverse impact on the local environment. The Council will generally adopt a policy of removing fly posting at the earliest opportunity. Attention should be paid in particular to the following circumstances:

I. Fly posting should not be placed on trees;

II. Fly posting should not be placed on railings or structures owned by the Parish Council without permission.

III. Fly posting should not be placed for events to be held outside the village. This applies to events held for commercial, charitable or non-profit making purposes.

IV. Posters or banners advertising one-off events due to be held in or close to the village may be displayed for a maximum of three weeks prior to the event;

V. Posters or banners advertising for one-off events due to be held in or close to the village should be taken down by the organisers within three days of the event.

6.3 Non-compliance with the conditions above will mean that posters displayed by such organisations may on subsequent occasions be removed immediately by the Council.

6.4 Organisers of events are also reminded of the need to obtain the prior permission of the owner(s) of the relevant telegraph pole, fence, railing, lamp post or other structure before placing advertising material.

6.5 The Parish Council strongly disapproves of the use of adhesives to affix notices onto telegraph poles, lamp posts or other structures. It is noted that some adhesives may cause damage to the surface on which a notice is placed. Bracebridge Heath Parish Council accepts no responsibility for any damage caused in the removal of notices.

6.6 Employees and members of Bracebridge Heath Parish Council are requested to be individually pro-active in removing and carefully disposing of notices displayed in breach of the policy detailed here.

7 Review

7.1 This policy will be reviewed by the Council or duly delegated committee on a biennial basis or in response to changes in relevant legislation.

8 Version Control and amendment history