Advertisements and Signs | Rochford District Council

Background

The national rules relating to the display of advertisements and signs are complicated - some advertisements are excluded from control, others can be displayed without the need for consent from the Council.

The unauthorised display of advertising material on buildings or street furniture without the consent of the owner is generally called 'fly posting'. Fly posting includes banners for local events, posters for car boot sales or local community activities, and posters displayed by pressure groups.

Advice

This interactive guide is designed to help explain the types of advertisements and banners that you can display without consent. If you are still not sure about the need to apply for consent to display your advertisement or banner, please contact us.

Action by the Council

Essex County Highways will remove, without notice unauthorised advertisements from the highway or attached to street furniture, on pavements, lamp columns, railings, etc.

For other unauthorised advertisements not on the highway the responsibility for control is with Rochford District Council. Where the owner can be identified we will generally give not less than two days' notice of our intention to remove such advertisements.

You can apply for express consent to display your advertisement by following the links on this page. There is a fee for processing your application (link in Related Content). If express consent is refused, you have the right of appeal against the Council's decision.

The Guide

The guide lists the various classes or types of advertisement which benefit from deemed consent.

Class 1: Advertisements used by public bodies

Advertisements needed by public bodies, including local authorities and government departments, providing information or directions about services.

Rules

Max size - 1.55 square metres
Reasonable degree of illumination allowed.

Examples

Noticeboard at a Council swimming pool
Display of bye-laws at recreation ground
Bus or rail timetables

Class 2: Miscellaneous advertisements on any premises

Display of small notices and signs on premises or buildings.

Class 2(A) - Notice on buildings or land to give warnings or directions

Rules

Max size - 0.3 of a square metre
No illumination

Examples

Street number or house name
Sign on field gate - 'please shut the gate'
Private sign - 'no parking please'

Class 2(B) - Notices for partnerships or companies

Rules

Max size - 0.3 of a square metre
Can be illuminated if medical supplies are available

Examples

Name of doctor's surgery
Name of company or partnership

Class 2(C) - Various religious, educational signs etc.

Rules

Max size - 1.2 square metres
Can be illuminated if medical supplies are available

Examples

Religions, educations, cultural, recreational, medical or similar institutions
Hotel, inn, public house, block of flats, boarding kennel or hostel

Class 3: Temporary advertisements

Notices and signs displayed to publicise a forthcoming event, or advertise a short term use of advertisement site. If any class 3 sign relates to a sale or event, it must not be displayed more than 28 days beforehand and must be recovered within 14 days.

	Class 3(A) - Boards for estate agents, surveyors etc Rules Max size - industrial or commercial - 2 square metres or two bards together - 2.3 square metres Max size residential - 0.5 of a square metre or 0.6 of a square metre for two joined boards. Examples Estate agents, auctioneers and valuers
Image to follow	Class 3(B) - Goods or live stock sales Rules Max size 1.2 square metres Displayed at a location of sale Examples Sale of goods or livestock
	Class 3(C) - Firms carrying out building works Rules Max size 2 square metres for one firm plus 0.4 of a square metre for each additional firm on same sign Max size if sign is more than 10 metres from highway is 3 square metres plus 0.6 of a square metre for additional firms. Examples Building contractors, name of project
Image to follow	Class 3(D) - Local events Rules Max size - 0.6 of a square metre Example Church bazaar, charity events, amateur sports event
Image to follow	Class 3(E) - Agricultural demonstrations Rules Max size 1.2 square metres aggregate No sign more than 0.4 of a square metre Examples Demonstrations of agricultural methods
Image to follow	Class 3(F) - Circuses or fairs Rules Max size 0.6 of a square metre Restrictions on size of lettering and height of signs 14 days notification Examples Travelling circuses and fairs

Class 4: Illuminated Advertisements

Class 4 permits the display of advertisements with illuminated letters or characters on an unilluminated background or 'halo' illumination.

Image to follow

Class 4

Rules

Excludes moving features and animation
Only one fascia panel and one projecting at right angles
On a shop, must be on wall with shop window
Must be at least 2.5 metres high
Fascia panel no more than 0.25 metres from wall
Projecting sign must not exceed 0.25 of a metre between sides
Excludes any premises in a conservation area

Class 4(A) - Retail parks

Rules

Projecting sign must not exceed 1 square metre, project more than 1 metre from wall or be more than 1.5 metres high
'Halo' illumination on premises in a retail park, only on frontage overlooking communal car park

Class 4(B) - Business premises

Rules

Projecting sign must not exceed 0.75 of a square metre, project more than 1 metre from the wall exceed two-thirds of the width of pavement below, or be more than one-sixth of the frontage measured at the top of the advertisement.
'Halo' illumination on business premises

Class 5: Advertisements on Business Premises

Class 5 relates to a wide variety of notices, signs and advertisements to draw attention to commercial services and goods for sale

Rules

Limitations on size of letters and characters used
Highest part must not be above 4.6 metres above ground level
Highest part must not be above the bottom of the first-floor window in the wall
Must not be illuminated, unless illuminated relates to medial or similar services
For a shop the advertisement must be in the wall with the shop window
Only relates to adverts for the business operating from the premises

Class 6: Advertisements on the Forecourts of Businesses

Class 6 allows the display of adverts on forecourts, including enclosing fences, walls or other structures.

Rules

Max 4.6 square metres on one forecourt
Building with two forecourts can have advertisements not exceeding 9 square metres
No illumination in any circumstances
Only relates to adverts for the business operating form the premises
The forecourt does not include the pavement in front of a business premises which forms part of the highway.

Class 7: Flag Advertisements

Class 7 permits some flag advertisements to be displayed.

Class 7(A) - Flag on roof of building

Rules

Flag advertisement on one flagstaff, fixed upright on roof of a building
No height limit
Only display name, emblem or company name
Not permitted to advertise products

Image to follow

Class 7(B) - Flags at house building sites where houses remain for sale

Rules

Flag on virtual flagstaff
10 house or less - one flag
1-100 hours - two flags
More than 100 houses - three flags
Max 4.6 metres high
Not exceed 2 square metres
Removed at end of one year after construction of last house

Class 8: Hoardings around Temporary Construction Sites

Class 8 relates to the display of advertisements on hoardings at temporary construction sites.

Will provide some environmental benefits
Must not be displayed more than three months before work starts
Max 38 square metres in area
Not more than 4.6 metres above ground level
Details of advert sent to local planning authority at least 14 days before display
May be illuminated in a reasonable manner

Class 9: Advertisements on Purpose-designed Highway Structures

Class 9 enables a standard size poster panel (four-sheet) to be displayed on structures or objects on highway land with the Council's approval.

Bus shelters or information kiosks must be purpose designed for posters
Max 2.16 square metres in area
No illumination permitted

Class 10: Signs for Neighbourhood Watch or Similar Schemes

Class 10 enables neighbourhood watch or signs of a CCTV surveillance scheme to be displayed on a rear highway land.

Image to follow

Applies to various watch schemes
Max 0.2 of a square metre in area
Not exceed 3.6 metres above ground level
On highway land - highway authority's permission must be obtained
14 day notification given to local planning authority
Removed in 14 days if police or highway authority withdraw consent

Class 11: Directional Advertisement

Class 11 permits house builders to put up temporary direction signs.

Max 0.5 of a square metre in area
Not exceed 4.6 metres above ground level
Restrictions on size of lettering
No reflective materials or illumination
Must not look like a traffic sign
Not on highway land or within 50 metres of a road sign
Within two miles of a site
14 day notification given to local planning authority
Sign removed when development is completed

Class 12: Advertisements Displayed inside Buildings

Class 12 relates to advertisements that are displayed inside buildings.

Image to follow

Can be illuminated
Advertisement is within 1 metre of a window through which it can be seen

Class 13: Advertisements displayed for more than 10 years

Class 13 allows advertisements to be displayed on a site that has been used continually for the preceding 10 years for the display of advertisements.

Class 14: Advertisements Displayed after Expiry of Express Consent

Class 14 allows advertisements to be retained after express consent expires (usually five years) where the planning authority has not forbidden any further display or refused consent.

Class 15: Captive Balloon Advertisements

Class 15 relates to advertisements on tethered balloons.

Image to follow

Not more than 60 metres above ground
Not displayed for more than 10 days in a calendar year
Not in a conservation area

Class 16: Advertisement on Telephone Kiosks

Class 16 relates to advertisements on the glazed surfaces of telephone kiosks.

Image to follow

Boxes designed by Giles Gilbert Scott excluded (K2 & K6)
Not in a conservation area
Illumination is not permitted
No advertisement on more than one face of kiosk

The Rules

The national rules relating to the display of advertisements is set out in:

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 - sections 224 and 225
The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007
The Highways Act 1980 - Section 132
Communities and Local Government Circular 3/2007