AN APPEAL lodged to the Planning Inspectorate against the council's refusal of illuminated LED display sign to be installed close to a busy junction has been dismissed.
Consent was sought last year to display the sign on the outside of a dog grooming salon on Duke Street, near to the junction with Boundary Road, Cowley Hill Lane and Dentons Green Lane.
V 2 LED Ltd sent in the plans to St Helens Council for the sign in November 2023, which would be near one of the main gateways to St Helens town centre.
The plans said the sign would have a height of 2.8m; be 1.92m wide and have a depth of 0.15m.
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The applicant claimed the display "will be at a sufficient height that it will not obstruct or hinder the interpretation of highway signs or signals".
However, planning officers at St Helens Council considered the sign would be "out of character" with the area and cause the potential for "distraction" to users of the busy junction.
The applicant lodged an appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against the council's refusal.
What the Planning Inspector said
In a decision notice published on August 8, planning inspector Steven Hartley said "the proposed display, by its luminosity and frequent changes, would introduce a garish, multi-coloured, constantly changing element into the street scene, thereby representing an incongruous addition to the detriment of the visual amenity of the area".
It was added "the changing images would be an unreasonable amenity distraction to residents and the extent of illumination/image changes would still be noticeable outside of the proposed restricted hours particularly in the winter months when the days are shorter".
Mr Hartley also said that "while some drivers would be able to see the display without turning their heads away from the road in front of them, others would not be able to do so".
The planning inspector stated that "the illuminated display and the changing images, even if it was only once while at the junction, would add a distraction to the complexity of manoeuvring through the junction and could give rise to unacceptable conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles".
The appeal was dismissed.
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