Agenda item

143965 - Advertisement consent to display 1no. non-illuminated fascia sign. "Nettleham Community Hub, Nettleham Library", 1 East Street, Nettleham

Meeting of Planning Committee, Wednesday, 2nd February, 2022 6.30 pm (Item 95.)

Minutes:

The Chairman introduced the final application of the meeting, application number 143965, for the advertisement consent to display 1no. non-illuminated fascia sign at Nettleham Community Hub, Nettleham Library, 1 East Street, Nettleham. The Chairman made the declaration that the applicant, Councillor J. Oliver, was elected to West Lindsey District Council in the process of this application, and was somewhat known to the Committee.

The Planning Manger stated that the rules in the wake of the pandemic on planning matters for outdoor-focused food and drink establishments had been relaxed, and that Members should only consider the provisions of the development plan, so far as they are material, in addition to the amenity and public safety regarding the advertisement. The Officer also reminded that any other issue regarding the building should not be considered.

The Chairman stated there were two registered speakers, both of whom had submitted statements to be read on their behalf. He invited the Democratic Services Officer to read the first statement, from Councillor J. Oliver, the applicant. The following statement was read aloud.

“Hello Council. I would like to disclose that I am Cllr. Oliver of Nettleham ward but acting as Jaime Oliver on behalf of Nettleham Community Hub.

I would like to add that THE HUB’s new sign is black and white, none offensive colours that add class and improved the look of to the building which looked very dated.

Not only has it increased visibility but it has also increased footfall to our Community Hub by advertising a coffee shop inside our HUB.

This also works in synergy with all the other services within the HUB. Increasing awareness and use of the whole building.

We feel we have had overwhelming positive feedback to the new look of the building and only a few people have objected.

The sign has increased our footfall by over 2,000 extra people per month. In comparison to when we had a coffee shop without a sign. Thank-you for your time.”

The Chairman requested that the second statement, from Mr Andrew Blow, be read. The following statement was made.

“A sophisticated technical objection about the size of this advertisement in a conservation area has come from Nettleham Parish Council whose chair, Cllr. John Evans, has considerable knowledge of planning matters. This objection was the unanimous view of the Parish Council which I witnessed from the public seats.

As residents living opposite the advertisement, with respect we do not think the Planning Officer’s report pays sufficient attention to the Parish Council’s objections.

The size of the advertisement gives the impression that the building is a coffee bar instead of a community centre. We have heard people say they are going to the café or coffee bar and they do not refer to it as the community centre.

The advertisement is after all on the elevation of the community centre which most people see.

It is strange to us that the applicant wanting to inflict an advertisement of this size in the conservation area is the community centre…. not the tenant coffee company.

We also take issue with the description of the premises by the Planning Officer in regard to the takeaway window.

She fails to mention that no permission was given by WLDC for the community centre to become a takeaway.

The creation of the takeaway window…. which has led to some bizarre and illegal parking by customers…. has the effect of converting an A3 licensed venue to an A5 venue for which there has been no application.

Until now, there has been no opportunity for residents to comment because no planning application has been made.

The advertisement was put up without permission last June and to approve it without imposing any restraint is to condone and approve bad practice.

As residents of The Green who have to look at this advertisement from our home we would ask the Planning Committee to pay heed to the Parish Council’s objections and enforce the applicant to bring the advertisement within those standards.

It is no secret that the four nearest residents and others in the locality also have serious issues with the provision of 66 outdoor seats outside the Hub without any consultation with us and without any application for planning permission. This has led to noise, nuisance, and privacy issues.

We are delighted to say that the Hub’s trustees have agreed to meet us near residents along with Parish, District, and County councillors on Tuesday, February 8 to discuss these issues.”

With no responding comments from the Planning Officer, the Chairman invited comments from Members of the Committee. The following statements and information were provided.

One Member raised several points about the lead-up to this application as context to the application. These included the previous arrangements of the building, with comments of black panelling being put up in July 2021. The Member also raised that with Nettleham being in a conservation area, many residents had concerns about any planning application or development.

The Member went on to say that Lincolnshire County Council only gave the HUB permission to change a few aspects, with no recommendation to submit a planning application. The Member went on to say that there was no consent from planning on the development of this new coffee shop. In the Member's last statement, it was asked why Schedule 3 was not relevant. The Officer answered that this application was seen as 'Deemed consent', similar to how properties had 'Permitted Development' as granted by the Government, but those that exceed a certain boundary had to be referred to the Planning Committee.

One issue raised by another Member concerning the raising of this application was on the comparison with other local businesses. The Member asked whether other companies, who had changed their premises and advertised that change, had to go through a similar advertising consent. The Chairman reminded Members that they were only concerned with the advertising signage, not the proposed shift in usage facilitated by the change of the rules in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Having been moved, and seconded, on voting it was agreed that permission be GRANTED subject to the following conditions.

1. The grant of express consent expires five years from the date of the grant of consent.

Reason: To comply with the requirements of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007.

2. No advertisement is to be displayed without the permission of the owner of the site or any other person with an interest in the site entitled to grant permission.