Item 5a - DC21 178 ADV - Range of advertisements including fascia signs
West Dunbartonshire Council · 8 June 2022
Back to Planning Committee — 8 June 2022 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration Planning Committee: 8 June 2022 _____________________________________________________________ DC21/178/ADV: Range of advertisements including fascia signs and freestanding 8m high double sided pole sign (associated with proposed coffee shop and drive-thru facility subject to application DC21/176/FUL) at Morrisons Supermarket, 36 Glasgow Road, Dumbarton, G82 1QZ by Trilogy (Leamington Spa) Ltd 1. REASON FOR REPORT 1.1 The application has been subject of an objection from a Community Council. Under the terms of the approved Scheme of Delegation, it therefore requires to be determined by the Planning Committee. 2. RECOMMENDATION 2.1 Grant advertisement consent subject to the condition set out in Section 9 below. 3. DEVELOPMENT DETAILS 3.1 The application site is located within the northern part of the existing Morrisons supermarket car park and is bounded by the A814 Glasgow Road to the north and the access road leading into the supermarket main car park and the associated petrol station from the west. From the east, the plot neighbours the C-listed United Reform Church in Leven Street; to the south, there is the remainder of the existing supermarket car park. The immediate vicinity of this part of Dumbarton is characterised by St James Retail Park with retail units and a number food outlets and further east is Dumbarton East local centre. 3.2 The application proposes the installation of a mix of internally illuminated fascia signage and non-illuminated signage at a proposed site of a drive- through coffee shop, whose intended location is within the car park of the supermarket. Page 1 of 6
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The drive-thru coffee shop was refused by the Council in December 2021 (application ref: DC21/176/FUL) and is currently subject of an appeal to the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division. Under planning legislation, the Council cannot withhold determination of this advertisement application pending the outcome of the appeal, even though the planning application for the drive-thru coffee shop was refused by the Council. Equally by the grant of advertisement approval it does not imply that the drive-thru coffee ship is now acceptable. 3.3 The advertisement signage proposed reflects the corporate identity of the operator and includes the following elements: Principal signage: • “Costa Coffee Drive-thru” sign to be located on the northern and western elevations of the proposed café, to measure 2.62m in maximum width and 1.57m in height. • Internally illuminated “Costa Coffee” sign to be located on the southern elevation of the building, fixed to box section rails finished to match building colour. 2.62m in width and 1m in total height. • Internally illuminated “Great coffee starts here” built up letters, to measure 5.32m in width by 0.9m in height, to be placed on a new slatted timber wall of the same width and 2m of height to be placed at the entrance to the drive-through lane. • “Costa Coffee Drive-thru” pole sign to be placed opposite on the corner of Glasgow Road and entrance to Morrisons car park; sign to be 6 m in total height including the pole from the ground. • Non-illuminated banner frame to be placed next to the aforementioned pole sign. Frame to measure 3.10m in width and 1.8m in height, to be made of perforated metal sheet finished in black colour, fitted to posts finished in the same colour. Ancillary Signage • “Hearts & Darts” cut out logo, A0 advertising and menu poster internally illuminated signs, built-up letters to mark different service points of the drive through, as well as pole-mounted waiting bay, parking restriction and directional non-illuminated signs and a height barrier with the associated warning signage. The signs will be finished in a select variety of colours aligned with the branding of Costa Coffee, specifically and predominantly dark red, black and white. Page 2 of 6
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4. CONSULTATIONS 4.1 West Dunbartonshire Council Roads Service have no objections to the proposed advertisements. 5. REPRESENTATIONS 5.1 Two objections, including one from Dumbarton East & Central Community Council, were received in connection with the application. The concerns raised can be summarised as follows: • Noise caused by the operation of the drive through. • Road safety in relation to traffic levels and incidents of speeding. • Number of fast food outlets in the area. • Proposed signage excessive for the location. 5.2 The points raised in the objections received will be considered in the Section 7 below. 6. ASSESSMENT AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT PLAN West Dunbartonshire Adopted Local Plan 2010 6.1 Policy DC1 advises that the Council will have regard to visual amenity and the safety of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and in particular to: • the appropriateness of the location; • in the case of remote signing, advertisements must not be located where they will create a visual intrusion unless there are exceptional circumstances which justify the need for display in a specific location; • the size and design of any advertisement shall be sympathetic in scale to its surroundings; • in the case of illuminated advertisements, special regard shall be had to avoidance of visual intrusion, distraction to motorists or confusion with traffic signals. 6.2 The proposal complies with the policies of the adopted Local Plan and is assessed fully in Section 7 below. 7. ASSESSMENT AGAINST MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS West Dunbartonshire Local Development Plan (LDP2) Proposed Plan 7.1 The modified Plan and associated documents was approved by the Council on 19 August 2020. The Council has advised the Scottish Ministers of its intention to adopt the Plan. On 18 December 2020, the Scottish Ministers issued a Direction in relation to the housing land chapter of the Plan. None of the policies considered in the determination of this application are effected by that Direction. Therefore, Local Page 3 of 6
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Development Plan 2 is the Council’s most up to date policy position and is afforded significant weight in the assessment and determination of planning applications. 7.2 Policy ENV12 states that advertisements which are sited on the business premises to which they relate will be supported subject to compliance with the criteria listed below. In all cases advertisements shall: • Not detract from the amenity of the area or character of buildings in terms of positioning, scale, design or materials; • Not result in any road safety or other hazard to the public; • Not result in an accumulation of signage clutter; and • Within Conservation Areas and on Listed Buildings, serve to improve or enhance the appearance of the area/building. Policy Context 7.3 Regulation 4(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (Scotland) Regulations 1984 limits the exercise of the powers of control of advertisements solely to the interests of amenity and public safety, and these matters are elaborated in regulation 4(2). The adopted and proposed Local Development Plan policies provide standards and a general approach to the protection of amenity and road safety. Principle of Advertisements 7.4 With regards to the context of the wider retail environment of this part of Dumbarton, the signs as proposed are considered to be ones which are both ordinarily and commonly associated with these type of uses, and especially those featuring drive through style food and drink establishments which cater to customers travelling by car. Therefore the signage is considered acceptable in principle. Visual Amenity 7.5 In assessing the impact on visual amenity, generally, the signs are considered to be appropriate to their location and the building to which they relate. The proposed banner advertisements fronting Glasgow Road and the cumulative effect with the existing banner advertisements for the supermarket which may result in unnecessary visual clutter at this location have been considered. Following discussion with the applicant, it is advised that the banner signs could be removed after a 6 month period to balance the promotion of the new business and the longer term visual amenity at this location. This can be addressed by condition and it is considered that the volume of signs proposed is sufficient to advertise the business without constituting accumulation or visual clutter. In respect of visual amenity, it is not considered that there is any impact resulting from the proposed advertisements on the nearby listed building. Page 4 of 6
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Further consideration has been made in relation to the pole sign, also referred to as the totem sign, to overlook the Glasgow Road roundabout at the entrance to the site. While the original design of the totem sign was a height of 8m, following discussions between the Planning Authority and the applicant, a reduction in height to 6m has been agreed. This is considered to be appropriate height in order to retain suitable visibility for the business while reducing any excessive potential visual impact. Public Safety 7.6 Whilst several of the signs are to be illuminated, given their location and position, it is not considered that they will have the capacity to impede vehicular safety and in particular distract drivers. Several of the signs are to be fixed to the elevation of the building while others are to be freestanding. Although some of these signs are in close proximity to pavements, their fair scale and respective locations mean that there would be no concern for the safety of the users of the pavement. Equally, it is not expected that any of the proposed signage would obstruct or pose danger to vehicles accessing the car park and the drive-through facility. One sign overhangs the drive-through lane entrance, however its purpose is to delineate the maximum height of vehicles permitted to use the drive- through to prevent building strikes. The Council’s Roads Service offers no objections nor any requirement for any conditions to be attached to the consent. The proposal is considered to be acceptable in respect of the impact on road safety. Objections Received 7.7 Whilst a variety of concerns are raised in respect of the drive-thru coffee shop at this location, many of these are not matters to be considered as part of an application for advertisement consent. Concerns were raised over the proposed signage being excessive for the location. The proposed signage layout consists of a mix of signs of varying sizes, some of which would be attached to the proposed drive thru coffee shop building, while others would be freestanding and located in the near vicinity of the building. It is noted some of the signs would be in place to aid the circulation of traffic within the site of the proposed drive through facility. While overall the number of advertising elements might appear excessive, when considered in the context of its function and spread over the application site, each element of the advertisement proposal is justifiable. The accumulation of signage and its visual impact is considered to be on par with that of the nearby businesses, such as other drive through restaurants. Page 5 of 6
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8. CONCLUSION 8.1 The proposed signage raises no issues in terms of visual amenity or road/pedestrian safety and adheres to the relevant policies of the adopted Local Plan and proposed Local Development Plan 2. The signage is appropriate for the location, does not result in an accumulation of signage, and is of reasonable quality and design for the planned premises. 9. CONDITIONS 1. The proposed banners framed advertisements – Item M, as presented in drawing “Costa Coffee Drive Thru Dumbarton, Glasgow Road – Pack Revision 3”, shall be removed from site within 6 months of the date of opening of the associated drive-thru coffee shop premises. Peter Hessett Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration Date: 8th June 2022 Person to Contact: Pamela Clifford, Planning & Building Standards Manager Email: Pamela.Clifford@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendix: Appendix 1 – Location Plan Background Papers: 1. Application forms and plans; 2. West Dunbartonshire Local Plan 2010; 3. West Dunbartonshire Local Development Plan 2 Proposed Plan. 4. Representations Wards affected: Ward 3 – Dumbarton Page 6 of 6