'Poor impact ' - South Tyneside vape shop's bid to keep 'harmful' digital sign stubbed out by council chiefs
A Hebburn vape shop's plan for a sign is refused by South Tyneside Council due to concerns over visual impact.
A South Tyneside vape shop's bid to keep a digital advertising sign has been refused by council development chiefs, with the sign labelled as "incongruous" and "harmful to residential amenity."
South Tyneside Council's planning department has blocked an application for the retention of a double-sided projecting sign at 235A Victoria Road East, Hebburn.
Applicant Smart Vape asked for permission for advertisement consent for the digital sign, which a planning application said would "show static or slow-changing advertising content for the business".
It was also noted that the sign's brightness would be "automatically controlled to suit surrounding light conditions and reduce glare at night" and that the sign would be "securely fixed and designed to avoid any impact on visual amenity or highway safety."
However, the arguments were not enough to convince council planning officers, who refused the plans after raising concerns about visual impacts and residential amenity impacts on nearby flats.
A council decision report said the signage would have a "poor impact on the appearance of the host building and is detrimental to the visual amenity of the wider area".
It was noted the advert had been "positioned incongruously at a higher level than the shopfront between the ground and first floors of the property and cuts across horizontal architectural detailing to the front elevation which is a characteristic feature of the host property and its neighbours".
Council planners referenced the "vivid and vibrant colours of a LED display, together with the changing display and colour schemes" drawing further attention to the advert.
It was argued that the combination of the above issues "results in harm to both the character of the frontage and the quality of the street scene".
It was also noted that the advert is visible from the windows of adjoining residential flats and council planners concluded that the advert would be "harmful to the residential amenity of those occupying these first floor flats."
The applicant can appeal the council's refusal decision.
For more information, visit the council's planning portal website and search for reference 260223.