In planning law a sign is an advertisement, and the definition is wide: any word, letter, model, sign, placard, board, notice, awning or blind used for advertisement, whether illuminated or not.
Three kinds of consent
- Some advertisements need no consent at all, provided they meet set conditions.
- Some have deemed consent, which the regulations grant without an application.
- The rest need the express consent of the local planning authority, which the venue applies for.
Express consent usually lasts five years, though the council can grant a longer or a shorter period.
What it tells a supplier
An application for advertisement consent names the premises and describes the sign. For a sign maker it is the work itself. For everyone else it is a venue settling its name and its frontage, sometimes alongside an application for a new shopfront.