COMMITTEE REPORT
BY THE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT CULTURE & SPORT
READING BOROUGH COUNCIL
PLANNING APPLICATIONS COMMITTEE: 7th December 2016
ITEM NO. 7
Ward: Abbey
App No.: 161400/ADV
Address: Broad Street (West)
Proposals: Display of 2 advertising banners per lamp column on 30 existing lamp
columns along Broad Street (West)
Applicant: Reading Borough Council
Date validated: 31st October 2016
Minor & Other Applications: 8 week target decision date: 26th December 2016
RECOMMENDATION
GRANT Advertisement Consent
Conditions to include:
1. Time Limit – Grant of 5 year Advertisement Consent
2. Approved Plans
3. Standard advert conditions
Informatives to include:
1. Terms and Conditions
2. Positive and Proactive
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1
The application relates to 30 existing lamp posts which are located at
intervals on both side of Broad Street from the junction with Oxford Road
West Street and St Marys Butts to the junction with Cross Street.
1.2
This section of Broad Street is located within the Reading Central Area,
Central Core, Primary Shopping Area, Office Core and contains designated
Active Frontages on either side of the street as defined by the Reading
Central Area Action Plan.
1.3
The buildings on either side of this part of Broad Street are predominantly
A1 retail uses at ground floor street level but also with some A2, A3, A4 and
A5 uses with either ancillary or office uses above. The buildings range from
around 3 storey in height up to 6 storey and are a mix of architectural
styles.
1.4
There are Grade II listed buildings at no. s 24-28, 35-38, 67, 68, 89, 95 and
107 Broad Street and the site is located within an Air Quality Management
Area (AQMA).
There is a range of street furniture along this section of Broad Street with
the lamp posts to which the application relates, lower level signage and a
number of street trees. Of note are also two 1.2m x 1.7 scrolling internally
illuminated advertisements attached to the back of two telephone kiosks
located outside no.s 46 and 100 Broad Street.
1.5
The application is to be determined by Planning Applications Committee as
the applicant is Reading Borough Council.
BROAD STREET
2. PROPOSAL & BACKGROUND
2.1
The proposal seeks advertisement consent for 60 individual banner
advertisements. It is proposed to position 2 double sided banners on each of
the 30 x 10m high lamp posts to which the application relates.
2.2
The Council’s Business Development Team would manage marketing and
letting of lamp column banner advertising opportunities on Broad Street,
alongside existing Roundabout Sponsorship business, ensuring adherence to
the Council’s advertising and sponsorship policy.
2.3
Broad Street West features 30 Lamp columns, each of which is fitted with 2
banner display arms, to display a pair of banners. The lamp columns and
associated furniture were specifically selected and installed in order to
display banners in an area of high footfall. The lamp columns are
occasionally now used to display corporate messages but are for the most
part underutilised and would serve as a pilot for Council managed lamp
column banner advertising, capitalising on existing infrastructure in a
commercially viable location.
2.4
Reading UK CIC/BID have advised of local business demand to use these
columns for brand awareness/advertising and are happy to promote
availability to their client base within the town centre.
2.5
The banners upon which the advertisements would be sited would be
formed from weather proof tear resistant printed vinyl and would be 2.2m
in height, 0.5m wide with a thickness of 0.001m. The banners would be
attached to the lamp posts via existing projecting support poles with the
lowest part of the banners positioned 3.9m above the pavement level
below. The banners would be illuminated by the existing light fittings to the
lamp posts.
2.6
The individual advertisements to be shown on each of the banners are not
provided or known at this stage and is likely to change over time, for
different ‘customers’. As part of the application a standard template for
the appearance of each of the banners has been submitted. This shows that
standard elements would be at the base of the banners with a section
0.14m in height spanning the full width of the banner which would display
the Reading Borough Council logo and the contact email address in order to
apply to advertise on the banners.
2.7
Plans considered:
Plan A – Received on 26th July 2016
Broad Street lamp post Banner refit. – Received on 31st August 2016
Plan B – Received on 31st October 2016
3. PLANNING HISTORY
3.1
None relevant.
4. CONSULTATIONS
4.1
Transport – No objection.
4.2
Public consultation:
As an application for advertisement consent no neighbour notification is has
been carried out or is required.
5. RELEVANT PLANNING POLICY AND GUIDANCE
5.1
The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations
2007 apply.
Section 16(2) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act
1990 requires the local planning authority to have special regard to the
desirability of preserving a listed building or its setting or any features of
special interest which it possesses.
5.2
National Planning Policy Framework
Part 7 – Requiring good design
5.3
Reading Borough Local Development Framework Core Strategy (2008)
(altered 2015)
CS7: Design and the Public Realm
CS33: Protection and Enhancement of the Historic Environment
5.4
Sites and Detailed Policies Document (2012)(Altered 2015)
DM12: Access, Traffic and Highway-Related Matters
DM22: Advertisements
5.5
Reading Central Area Action Plan (adopted 2009)
RC5: Design in the Centre
6. APPRAISAL – Application for Advertisement Consent
(i)
Legal context
7.1
Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements)
(England) Regulations 2007 requires the Local Planning Authority to exercise
its powers under these regulations in the interests of amenity and public
safety taking into account the provisions of the development plan, so far as
they are material; and any other relevant factors. Regulation 3 states that
factors relevant to amenity include the general characteristics of the
locality, including the presence of any feature of historic, architectural,
cultural, or similar interest.
7.2
Factors relevant to public safety include highway safety and whether the
advert would hinder security or surveillance devices, including speed
cameras.
(ii)
Main Issues
7.3
The main issues are considered to be:
a) The effect upon visual amenity and the public realm.
b) The effect upon public safety.
a) The effect upon visual amenity and the public realm
7.4
The nature of the proposal is one of a clearly defined sponsorship scheme
which allows business to purchase advertising space within a space on each
of the proposed banners. As such the proposed signage would not be
comparable to, or open the way for, such high level banner signage that was
not part of the Council’s sponsorship scheme. Whilst land ownership is not
usually a planning consideration, it is relevant to note that the land and
structures to which this application relates are controlled by the Council
and as such there is an additional level of control of signage.
7.5
It is therefore considered that because the signs form a clearly defined
sponsorship scheme that is limited in its extent, approval of this application
would not set an undesirable precedent for additional signage from other
sources within the street.
7.6
Policy DM22 of the Sites and Detailed Policies Document (2012, 2015) states
that advertisements will respect the building or structure on which they are
located and/or their surroundings and setting in terms of size, location,
design, materials, colour, noise, lettering, amount and type of text,
illumination and luminance, and will not have detrimental impact on public
safety. It also specifies that the cumulative impact of adverts will be taken
into account, and a proliferation of advertisements that detrimentally
affects visual or aural amenity or public safety will not be acceptable.
7.7
Policies CS7 of the Core Strategy (2008, 2015) and RC5 of the Reading
Central Area Action Plan (2009, 2015) seek high quality design and that the
appearance of proposals should maintain and enhance the character and
appearance of the area of Reading in which it is located.
7.8
The proposed banner advertisement spaces would be sited upon thirty
existing lamp posts within Broad Street. They do not therefore involve the
erection of specific advertisement structures. The lamp posts already have
existing projecting support poles to which the double sided banners would
be attached. The banners themselves are considered modest in size at 2m in
height and 0.5m in width. The advertisements utilise existing, essential
street infrastructure for an additional purpose in a modest, controlled
manner. Attached to existing structures and fittings it is not considered that
the banners would result in a significantly more cluttered appearance within
their location on Broad Street which is already a visually busy street.
7.9
The nature of the proposal and the scheme/initiative to which it relates is
such that the nature of the advertisement to be displayed on the banners is
not known at this stage and is likely to vary and change regularly as
advertisement space is purchased by different businesses at different times
and for different periods.
7.10
The banner advertisements themselves do not propose any additional or
specific illumination; rather they would make use of the existing
illumination of the lamp posts to which they are attached.
7.11
The consistent elements of each of the banners will be the small section at
the bottom displaying the Reading Council logo and the contact email
address through which to purchase advertising space. The remainder of the
banner in terms of colour, text and imagery will vary dependent on the
business that is advertising. As set out above the nature of the scheme is
such that this would always be the case as the businesses choosing to use
the banners vary and change over time. Notwithstanding this, it is
considered that the modest size of the banners is such that the available
space for potential advertisers is limited and therefore any text, logo or
imagery, limited by the available space, would not appear overly
prominent. Furthermore, again as set out above, as a Council initiative
there is an additional level of control as to what can be advertised on the
banners, in addition to any advertisement consent granted.
7.12
On the basis of the above it is considered that the proposed banner
advertisements would not result in significant additional harm to the visual
amenity of the street, surrounding area and public realm.
7.13
There are a number of grade II listed buildings within the section of Broad
Street to which the application relates (no. s 24-28, 35-38, 67, 68, 89, 95
and 107). Located upon existing lamp post structures and given the range of
street kiosks and existing (both illuminated and non-illuminated)
advertisements within Broad Street it is not considered that the proposed
banner advertisements would result in any significant additional harm to the
surrounding listed buildings, such that the setting of the listed buildings
would be preserved.
b) The effect upon public safety
7.14
The proposed banners advertisements would retain sufficient clearance
above the footway below (3.9m) and this part of Broad Street is
pedestrianised. The proposal is not considered to obstruct visibility and
would not seek to introduce additional illumination such that they would
not represent a distraction to road users.
Recommendation
GRANT advertisement consent for the reasons given above
Case Officer: Matt Burns