Draft Regulation 18 Sandwell Local Plan
Advertisements
15.35 As set out in The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007, the Council may exercise its powers in the control of advertisements in the interest of amenity and public safety. This policy sets out criteria against which an advertisement's relationship to amenity and public safety will be assessed.
Policy SDM4 - Advertisements
- Proposals for advertisements will not be given consent where they would have an unacceptable impact on amenity or public safety.
- An advertisement will be considered to have an unacceptable impact on amenity where it would:
- create or reinforce a negative visual impact in its immediate neighbourhood;
- detract from the character or setting of any feature of historic, architectural or cultural interest;
- generate a negative impact on the living conditions of nearby residents by reason of its siting or illumination.
- Advertisement proposals of all types will be considered harmful to public and road safety where they would:
- obscure views into an area, reducing natural surveillance;
- create an unwelcoming sense of enclosure;
- obscure safety cameras;
- unsafely reduce natural or street lighting;
- create visual distraction that would be harmful to the attention of drivers or the ready interpretation of road signs, traffic signals and / or visibility at junctions (see sections 6 – 8 below for details).
Poster Panels and Hoardings
- Applications for poster panels will be considered in light of local amenity and public safety. Regard should be given to the scale of buildings and the character of the location in which they are to be sited, together with any potential impact on highway safety.
- In general, advertisement hoardings will not be appropriate in wholly residential areas. Poster advertising may be appropriate in predominantly shopping and business parts of Conservation Areas and Areas of Townscape Value, though care will be needed in how they are accommodated.
Illuminated and Moving Advertisements
- The intensity of the illumination of an advertising unit and display should be set at a suitable level of luminance at night for its size and location and the panel must be fitted with a light sensor designed to adjust the brightness when changes in ambient light levels occur.
- For moving / electronic advertising, the minimum display time for each advertisement shall be 10 seconds. There must be no moving images, animation, video or full motion images or any images that resemble road signs, traffic lights or traffic signs of any kind before, during or after the display of any advertisement
- The interval between the display of each moving advertisement shall be 0.1 seconds or less and the complete display screen shall change without visual effects (including fading, swiping or other animated transition methods) between each advertisement.
Justification
15.36 The policy aims to prevent proposals that would be harmful to local character and amenity in any part of the borough. Perception of lower levels of visual amenity in any area will not serve as a benchmark for harmful proposals including increased clutter of advertisements.
15.37 The use of digital advertisements has increased in recent years. The illumination and movement associated with such advertisements can increase their capacity to adversely impact the amenities of an area or to affect public safety. Digital and illuminated advertisements should have regard to the Institute of Lighting Professionals' guidance note PLG05 The Brightness of Illuminated Advertisements[214]. Such advertisements should be able to ensure they will not have harmful impacts associated with their luminance though:
- restricted operation hours;
- maximum luminance levels;
- the provision of ambient lighting sensors;
- the provision of a default black screen.
15.38 In conservation areas, proposals will also be expected to demonstrate how they would conserve or enhance the character and appearance of the area, as required under Section 72 of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990.
[214] 2023 or subsequent iterations