Policy for temporary signs on public highway for events and new developments

Application criteria

Applications for the erection of temporary signs should be submitted by email to Highways@torbay.gov.uk or by post to Torbay Council, Highways Dept, Community & Customer Services, Lower Ground Floor, Town Hall, Torquay, TQ1 3DR.

Temporary signs will not be approved unless requests are received in the above formats, whether or not approvals have been given in principle by a Highways officer.

Applications will only be accepted from approved signing contractors (including motoring organisations). The applicant shall effect Third Party liability insurance of not less than £5 million for any claim which may arise from placing any sign on the highway. The applicant shall, when required by Torbay Council, produce evidence of such insurance.

Applications must include a schedule of all proposed signs with type of sign, sign design, sign size, proposed locations & fixing details (including items of street furniture for which a sign is proposed to be fixed). Applications shall be submitted to Torbay Council’s Highways Dept a minimum of one calendar month before the signs are required.

Events signage criteria

Temporary event signing will only be considered for events that are open to the general public. Events such as boot sales and private, invitation only, events will not be granted permission for temporary signs.

Trade events, whether invitation only or open to the general public, will only be granted permission for temporary signing where the event is likely to generate significant traffic levels.

Significant traffic levels in connection with this policy shall mean events which attract at least 150 vehicles a day from outside of the area (i.e. in excess of 10 miles from the event). Details of anticipated traffic levels may be requested to be provided by the applicant prior to the granting of permission.

When significant traffic levels are anticipated, signs will be required to direct traffic to the nearest available car parking facility. If the facility is a Torbay Council or other public car park, permission may be required from Torbay Council’s Parking Services or the car park operator prior to requesting signage. Pedestrian signs from a car park to a venue may be permitted where the venue is not clearly visible from the car park.

Signing will only be allowed from where the route to the event venue exits the nearest principal road network and where the event venue is on a principal road signing will only be permitted to identify the entrance to the venue. More extensive signing may be approved for major events where traffic conditions demand. Where possible however, such signing may be required to refer to existing directional signing, e.g. for “Event” follow Sea Front.

No signing will be permitted to venues already benefiting from permanent highway directional signing or tourism (brown) signing. Major events may be granted additional signing at the venue for traffic management purposes.

No other signs related to the event may be erected on the highway by the applicant or any other persons without the consent of the Highway Authority. Any unlawful signing to an event may make any existing permissions void, and such signs will be removed by the Highway Authority for which all costs incurred will be recharged to the event promoter. No signs shall be fixed to property or apparatus on the highway belonging to a third party (e.g. Utility apparatus such as telegraph poles) without the written approval of the owners and Torbay Council. Any signs fixed to any third party’s property shall form part of the application for temporary signing.

Where an event includes either a lane or full road closure on the public highway, permission will be subject to the event organiser having approval already in place for any such highway full road or lane closures. For further information, search ‘Apply to hold an event on our land’ on the Torbay Council website.

New development signage criteria

Temporary signing for new developments shall only be permitted to identify routes for delivery vehicles where such deliveries are regularly undertaken from suppliers from outside of the area. Details of anticipated vehicle movements may be requested prior to the granting of permission.

All new development signs to be considered for consent shall contain the name of the sites only. No reference will be made to the developer, logos or branding, number or type of housing. Only the DfT approved “lorry” symbol may be used on proposed signs to show delivery routes. The ‘house’ symbol will not be permitted on proposed highway signs to advertise house sales or for the signing of a developments sales office.

Examples of acceptable development signage are described in the appendix below.

No other signs related to the development may be erected on the highway by the applicant or any other persons without the consent of the Highway Authority. Any unlawful signing to the development may make any existing permissions void, and such signs will be removed by the highway authority for which all costs incurred will be recharged to the developer. No signs shall be fixed to property or apparatus on the highway belonging to a third party (e.g. Utility apparatus such as telegraph poles) without the written approval of the owners and Torbay Council. Any signs fixed to any third party’s property shall form part of the application for temporary signing.

Consent Criteria

All proposed signs shall be in accordance with Department for Transport regulations for sign design and highway specifications for sign materials & fabrication.

Where signs are proposed to be fixed to existing lamp columns, Torbay Council’s Street Lighting team (via highways@torbay.gov.uk) must be consulted and their permission granted. Failure to gain such permission shall result in the removal of any consents already granted and any non-approved signs erected on lamp columns shall be removed by the Highway Authority and any costs incurred shall be recovered from the developer.

Site Criteria

Any works undertaken upon the public highway or Torbay Council owned land in connection with the erection, maintenance or removal of signs, shall only be undertaken by suitably trained personnel, having due regard for any legislation in place at that time with special emphasis on the Health and Safety at Work Act, The New Roads and Street Works Act, the Highways Act and the Traffic Management Act. The applicant shall carry out a risk assessment for each sign location and ensure that any personnel attending site on their behalf carries with them at all times, a copy of the said assessment having read and understood it.

Event signing shall be erected no earlier than two working days prior to the event and removed no later than two working days after the event.

New development signing will be granted for a maximum of 6 months duration. Further extensions of a maximum of 6 months may be granted by the Highway Authority where a need is identified on the grounds of deliveries to larger developments, a written application will be required for such extensions; failure to gain permission for such extension may result in the sign being removed by the Highway Authority with any costs incurred being re-charged to the applicant.
Signs of surface area greater than 0.6m² shall not be fitted to lamp columns and no sign shall be fitted to any column already carrying any other sign. Signs fitted to lamp columns shall not obstruct any ciphering or access panels. Signs shall not be fitted to posts already carrying regulatory signs, to any post carrying traffic signals, belisha beacons or to any railings or safety barriers.

All signs shall be fitted at least 2.1m above the footway/verge (2.4m on cycleways) and the edges shall be at least 0.45m from the edge of the carriageway. They shall be affixed in such a way as to not obscure any other sign or signal or any identifying mark. They will also be affixed in such a way as they do not obstruct any road user’s visibility at junctions or roundabouts or otherwise impede their passage along the highway. All signs shall be fitted with approved fixings and all corners of the signs shall be rounded.

The Highway Authority reserves the right to request that any permitted temporary sign be moved or relocated if any instances or obstruction or visibility are identified.

At the end of the period to which any consent relates, all signs shall be removed from each site on the public highway and any damage caused to the highway or street furniture shall be repaired by the Highway Authority and any costs incurred shall be recharged to the applicant.