Fresh bid for advertising board outside Morpeth town centre building
A fresh planning application for an advertising board in a prime Morpeth town centre location has been submitted.
This follows a bid earlier this year to install freestanding electronic signage being turned down by Northumberland County Council planning officers under delegated powers.
The team that converted the former Brumell and Sample premises at 15 Bridge Street into five high-quality apartments said that the proposed digital display outside the building was intended to operate as a curated platform for local businesses, community groups and town centre events.
However, in the view of the planning officers, the board would have been inappropriate because “by virtue of its size, design and prominent position directly in front of a listed building, it would form an intrusive and incongruous feature that would harm the setting of the listed building and the character of the Morpeth Conservation Area”.
The team has now come back with a new application for a freestanding advertising board sign that would be non-illuminated and would have no digital or electronic display.
The design, access and heritage statement, one of the documents lodged with the council, includes the following: “The proposed sign has been reduced in overall size to ensure it remains clearly subordinate to the host building and surrounding architectural features.
“The proposed A-board is positioned behind the existing railings, adjacent to the building frontage. This ensures it does not project into the pavement or interrupt key views of the listed building.
“This is no longer a prominent, modern advert – it is a small, traditional, reversible feature that sits quietly within the historic streetscape and preserves the setting of the listed building.”