Advertising signs on a roundabout in Thorpe St Andrew, Norwich.
PHOTO BY SIMON FINLAY
Norfolk County Council could remove signs after not gaining permission
By tom bristow
Friday, March 8, 2013
8:59 AM
A council may have to dig up its own advertising signs after failing to get permission to install them after they had been erected.
Norfolk County Council has installed signs on around 60 roundabouts in the county on which businesses then buy advertising.The council’s plan was to raise up to £160,000 a year by selling the advertising through a Suffolk company called Marketing Force.
But after building them, the county council was told by district councils that they needed advertising permission.
In south Norfolk, where 22 signs have been built, half of them were refused permission by the district council on February 27.
Tim East, South Norfolk councillor for Costessey who sits on the planning committee, accused the council of a “complete reversal of policy”.
“The hypocrisy of Norfolk County Council knows no bounds,” he said. “Previously they had a policy moratorium on advertising on highway verges and roundabouts. With a complete volte-face, business advertising signs on roundabouts are seemingly legitimate.”
In west Norfolk, Dersingham Parish Council has objected to signs on George Pratt Roundabout at the junction of the main A149 coast road and the B1440, claiming the signs were “distracting”.
In Hellesdon signs have already been removed by the county council at the Bull roundabout after the parish council objected to them last year.
The county council hoped the money generated from advertising would cover the roundabouts’ £20,000-a-year maintenance costs and raise up to £160,000 a year which would be put into the highways maintenance budget.
Although the signs are larger than ones previously allowed on roundabouts, the county council said there were no safety issues.
Councillor Beverley Spratt, who led the move to introduce advertising on roundabouts, said it was “sad” and “disappointing” that some councils were not approving the applications. “When we rolled it out the uptake from businesses was unbelievable. Now we’ll have to review it.”
He added: “I was told that the roundabouts belonged to Norfolk County Council, but then the district councils decided we would have to get permission.
“It was going to bring in new money for maintenance and it is sad because it was a win-win for everybody.”
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18 comments
How refreshing to see District Councils finally standing up to NCC. This is exactly what they need to do a little more of on several other larger issues like the incinerator and Coltishall, they may not be happening in everyone's District but the knock on consequences will spread across the county financially. The Public Inquiry is also bringing out rather alarming pollution figures for much further afield downwind to the east.
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Honest John
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Yet another stupid and potentially dangerous idea. Are the county officers awake? And another thing: The stupid and dangerous new road layout heading south down the A12 at the Gorleston bypass roundabout defies belief and the highway code! I had a car swerve in front of me into the outside lane because they didn't expect to see the ridiculous arrows for cars turning right; all cars have to be in the outside lane to join the lane divide, stupid!!. The holiday makers are going to love this latest dangerous stupidity!
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Dave01
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Maryjane, don't worry. There are not many good ol' Norfolk boys who are christened "Beverley". I bet he had a terrible time at school!
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Nemesis
Saturday, March 9, 2013
I fully agree with 'Daisy Roots', not only are they a distraction but they also do, at times, block the view across the roundabout, making it a little less safe to negotiate. Furthermore, it's about time that the roundabout at Thickthorne was resurfaced and the lane lines repainted. That has got to be one of the most hazardous roundabouts in the county at the moment.
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Sid
Saturday, March 9, 2013
I'm sooo sooory! In my last comment I thought Beverley Spratt was a woman!!
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maryjane
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Surely the senior council in Norfolk can do what the hell it likes? There is empirical evidence in abundance.
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Mr Cameron Isaliar
Friday, March 8, 2013
NCC are of course inefficient, thats blindingly obvious. Added to that they think they can do whatever they want ignoring rules they force the phlebs to obey.
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Canary Boy
Friday, March 8, 2013
Ive been told it doesn't matter who is the leading group because officers control everything and if councillors try and do anything officers stop it. Sounds like we need to sack some councillors or some officers or perhaps both. As for the signs if you read them while driving andlose concentration its called undo care and attention so the only signs should be road signs. What do you think of that peter smith as you seem to be inbed with lazy loony labour
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Sweet cheeks
Friday, March 8, 2013
I share alecto's surprise that Beverley Spratt is still a councillor at all, after the disciplinary action taken against him last year.
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gilded beams
Friday, March 8, 2013
The fact that the Tories on the County Council continue careering along without stopping to find out whether they need planning permission shows how incredibly inefficient they are. Vide their signing the contract for the incinerator in Kings Lynn without realising that they had to have planning permission in situ. Their partner in this deal called them mad. As for Bev Spratt - I would really rather not listen to him on anything to do with planning since his behaviour last year. The fact he is still a councillor comes as a great surprise.
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alecto
Friday, March 8, 2013
There is no place for roadside advertising in a beautiful county like Norfolk. It undermines the councils' authority in controlling unauthorised advertising if the county council is peppering the roadside with ugly billboards. Some enterprising traders have created roadside direction signs that look almost identical to official signs, and mounting them on the county council's columns underneath the genuine direction signs for added credibility!
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JCW
Friday, March 8, 2013
More incompetence from Norfolk's toxic Tories.
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Peter Watson
Friday, March 8, 2013
Pave over the grassed up roundabouts as a refuge in case of accidents. Put trees and bushes alongside roads by all means.When is the cost too much?
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bedoomed
Friday, March 8, 2013
How could Norfolk County Council, itself a local planning authority, omit to obtain express consent for these advertisements under the 2007 Control of Advertisement Regulations? That said, some years ago it mounted an ex-Coltishall Jaguar on a plinth outside County Hall. and then had the embarrassment of having to grant itself planning permission retrospectively.
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John Martin
Friday, March 8, 2013
Cllr Spratt should be an expert in town and country planning matters, after his own little local difficulty with the Standards Committee at South Norfolk District Council.
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Nemesis
Friday, March 8, 2013
Beverley Spratt should be told that Norfolk does not want to be turned into a carbon copy of the trashy look that adorns the highways of the USA and third world countries. There is a surfit of street furniture as it is all paid for by the County - has she ever done a count of the signs over a measured mile?
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maryjane
Friday, March 8, 2013
How come that triple hatter Cllr. Spratt does not know what is required and what temperature and moral in our councils? when two Conservative led councils are having a cat fight over money and advertising.
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ingo wagenknecht
Friday, March 8, 2013
Good . They are distracting and annoying.No one other than passengers, should be reading an advertisement when driving round a roundabout. In fact a good many roundabouts in Norfolk need a hard look at their safety and fitness for purpose. Far too many are now rendered difficult to use easily and traffic flow is hindered by the simple fact that the mini jungles on the roundabout block drivers' line of sight. A symptom of the stupidity of modern life, that ornament and money from advertising should take precedent over functionality and safety.
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Daisy Roots
Friday, March 8, 2013