Decision details

The Committee received a re-submitted amended application following earlier refusal of planning permission for the erection of two temporary non-illuminated totem signs at two locations, on Madingely Road and Huntingdon Road.  

Mr Steve Venters, applicant and Ms Heather Topel, agent for the applicant spoke in support of the application.

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report

i.       Noted the work the developer had undertaken to address the objections of Members raised during the previous application but drew attention to the concerns of the Urban Design and Conservation Team and the objection received from Girton Parish Council.  Conventional means of advertising the new store such as television and radio would be sufficient to attract custom to the store without the need for the proposed signage.   

ii.     Drew attention to comments from Girton Parish Council that stated they had not had sufficient time to consider the application and that roadside advertising was inappropriate and would lead to congestion and affect local businesses by drawing trade away from them.

iii.    Questioned whether the colour of the proposed sign could be altered in order to mitigate its visual impact.  

iv.   Highlighted that the Local Centre would be operational at an early stage of the overall development and there would therefore be a limited number of local residents that could support the store.  It was important that the store was successful and some form of advertisement to support its opening was not unreasonable. 

v.     Sought assurance that the sign would not be erected for longer than the 18 months applied for.   

vi.   Suggested that the application be deferred until the Council’s signage guidance had been finalised and adopted. 

In response to Members’ questions officers said the following:

i.       Explained that the recommendation to approve the application was made on balance and that it was not unreasonable for the store to have supporting advertising for a limited 18 month period given the specific circumstances put forward. 

ii.     Confirmed that Girton Parish Council had been consulted as part of the planning process and comments had been received on 4^th January 2017.

iii.    Explained that if the applicant wished for the sign to be erected for longer than 18 months then the application would have to return to the Committee for consideration.   

iv.   Explained that City Council guidance regarding signage in this locality would be released   prior to the 18 month expiry date for these advertisements. The early delivery of the Local Centre at North West Cambridge is supported.  The need to support the store and the local centre on balance outweighed the negative impact on green belt.

The Committee:

Resolved (by votes 12 to 3 with 0 abstention) to approve the application in accordance with the officer recommendation and subject to the condition set out in the officer report.