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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT BY DEPUTY R.G. LE HERISSIER OF ST. SAVIOUR
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY 2009 Question
"Is the installation and amendment of signs subject to the full Planning process and, if so, why?"
Answer
The placing of an advertisement on a part of a building or land not normally used for that purpose falls within the definition of "development", and save where it is permitted by Order (made under Article 76 of the Planning and Building (Jersey) Law 2002) requires permission. The procedures for obtaining permission are identical to the normal planning process, although the requirement is included in the Planning and Building (Display of Advertisements) (Jersey) Order 2006 (R&O – 68/2006), rather than the primary Law.
The Order also specifies, at Schedule 1, the many categories of advertisements, for which permission is not required subject to certain conditions. They are too numerous to mention here, but are readily available in the above Order. However, they include:
- All signs that are statutory signs under other legislation;
- Most signs that are reasonably required to be displayed in relation to the functions of the States, Parochial authority or a Minister;
- Most signs advertising a profession, business, trade;
- Most temporary advertisements or signs, such as sales, contractors' boards on development sites, events, elections and so on; and
- signs that are in or on, but not visible, from outside enclosed land or a building.
Generally, the conditions and parameters applied to the above exemptions' are to do with size of signs, illumination, highway safety and protecting visual amenities.
I consider that poor signage and advertisements have a damaging impact on our environment, and in the absence of any form of control, would proliferate throughout the Island. The regulation of large signs is clearly important, but so is control of small signs such as the homemade' signs that often appear at junctions and roadsides, and damage our countryside.
However, I do consider there is scope for further deregulation of advertisement control, and we are already reviewing all the various Orders to increase the threshold of exemptions.