One of the more common questions Church Growth Trust (CGT) is asked is “if we want to put a sign on the church building will we need permission to do that?” In response to this CGT has prepared a Briefing Paper called “External signs and notices at church premises: the need for consent” which is now uploaded to the resources section of CGT’s webpage and available to download here
Signs, posters, flags and many other things come under the definition of advertisements and it is the law on advertisements (The Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (England) Regulations 2007) that sets out what needs consent and what does not.
If consent is required, this will involve a planning application. The criteria for giving consent for an advertisement include public safety (e.g. would a sign distract a motorist?) and amenity (e.g. would an advertisement have an unacceptable effect on the urban or rural landscape?).
If someone gets it wrong and commits an offence under the Regulations they could face a fine of up to £2,500. CGT’s briefing paper explains what is covered by the Planning Regulations on advertisements and is intended to help churches work out when they will need to apply for prior permission from the local authority. It has a section which covers the usual types of signs that churches want to put up, including notice boards, temporary banners and the name of the church. It is hoped that this paper will be helpful to those who need it.
For further information please contact John Duffield on 01536 647163 or john.duffield@churchgrowth.org.uk
