Policy and guidance
As the local highway authority, we have a legal duty to protect the health and safety of all roads and footway users. To help meet this responsibility, we have introduced a policy for advertising boards and shopfront displays.
While businesses are encouraged to make use of the pavement area directly outside their premises, this should be restricted to a single advertising board.
The board must be placed either within a private forecourt or immediately next to the property, in a position agreed with the relevant Council officer. This approach ensures that most of the footway remains clear, allowing pedestrians and shoppers to move safely and freely.
Goods displays have our conditional permission, but we ask you to consider their possible impact on customers and passing pedestrians, particularly people with a visual impairment. We want to work with traders to provide the best possible business environment, but it is important that everyone complies with the 60-centimetre width limit for their goods displays.
Guidance for A boards
A board design and layout
Advertising boards must be no more than 60 centimetres wide and 90 centimetres high above ground level. Boards that swing or rotate are not permitted.
‘A’ boards must be freestanding and must not be secured to any other object with chains or similar fixings. They should be sufficiently stable so that they cannot be easily blown over or moved, and they must be removed at the end of each trading day.
The responsibility for advertising boards rests with the business owner, who must ensure that appropriate public liability insurance is always maintained.
Placement and position on the Highway
A boards should be placed directly outside the shopfront, positioned next to the building, while ensuring a minimum unobstructed footway width of 1.5 metres is maintained, as shown in the example below.
Figure 1: A Board layout plan
Description of Figure 1:
Layout showing the recommended placement of A boards which must:
- be next to the building
- not extend more than 0.6 metres into the footway
- be at least 0.9 metres high
- leave at least 1.5 metres of footway clear
Key rules for A boards
- An A board must not reduce the clear footway width to less than 1.5 metres (1500mm).
- Only one A board is permitted per shop, premises, or business.
- Swinging or unsecured boards are not permitted.
- Businesses must maintain appropriate public liability insurance.
Guidance for goods
Goods layout
Goods should be displayed directly outside the shopfront, positioned next to the building. They must not extend more than 0.6 metres into the footway and should be at least 0.9 metres in height (at minimum), while ensuring a minimum clear footway width of 1.5 metres is maintained, as illustrated in the example below.
Figure 2: Goods layout plan
Description of Figure 2:
Layout showing the recommended placement of goods which must:
- be next to the building
- not extend more than 0.6 metres into the footway
- be at least 0.9 metres high
- leave at least 1.5 metres of footway clear
Key rules for goods
- All goods must be stable, non-hazardous, and safe for display.
- Displays should be confined to the width of the shopfront and must not extend onto neighbouring premises or around the side of a building.
- Items must not reduce the clear footway width to less than 1.5 metres.
- Businesses must hold appropriate public liability
Unauthorised activities and risk for A boards and goods
Signs and goods placed on the highway without the permission of the Highway Authority, and outside the scope of this guidance, will be treated as unauthorised. Such items may be removed by the Highway Authority (or its authorised agents) under Section 132 of the Highways Act.
Unauthorised items may also be removed where they present a risk, even if consent has been granted under the Town and Country Planning Act or related regulations.
A minimum clear footway width of 1.5 metres should normally be maintained (with an absolute minimum of 1 metre in constrained locations). No goods or signs will be permitted where the available footway width is less than 1.5 metres if this would result in further obstruction.
Where possible, the owner of an unauthorised sign or display will be contacted verbally. Alternatively, we may issue a formal letter or notice requesting its removal. If the owner cannot be identified or contacted, the Highway Authority may proceed with removal.
Any goods or signs considered to pose, or contribute to, a risk will be removed and held at our depot for a period of 28 days and then disposed of.