Services
- Planning - policies, advice and service levels
- Biodiversity and the environment
- Development planning - contacts
- Information and Statistics
- Planning - advice and guidance
- Planning - policies
- Planning - policies: supplementary planning guidance
- Planning - policies: supplementary planning guidance on developer contributions
- Planning - service and performance
Planning - advice and guidance
Guidance: advertisement displays on residential properties
What is an advertisement?
An advertisement is a poster, placard, fascia sign, projecting sign, pole sign, canopy sign, directional sign, estate or letting agents board, captive balloon advertisement or a flag advertisement which is designed to advertise a service, shop or property to passing members of the public.
When and where can I display a 'For Sale' or 'To Let' board?
Agents, solicitors, and those operating on their behalf, must not display any form of estate or letting agency board unless they have been instructed to market the property in question. Agents must only display an estate or letting agency board on their client?s own land and with their client's express permission.
You can only display this type of advertisement in the exclusive curtilage of the property that is 'For Sale' or 'To Let'. Boards must not be displayed in communal gardens or landscaped areas, or on the verge of a public road. Where a board is fixed to a building it must not project more that one metre from the building. Boards should not be more than 0.5 square metres in size, or if two boards are joined together as one, they must not be more that 0.6 square metres in total.
What rules do I have to abide by?
Advertisements must comply with the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 (new window) and the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) (Scotland) Regulations 1984 (new window). The Advertisement Regulations will tell you whether you need to apply for advertisement consent before you display a sign. If you display a sign which needs consent without first obtaining that consent, the council can take enforcement action, including removing the sign ourselves and sending you the bill for the cost of the removal.
Boards must also be displayed at the lowest level at which is reasonably practicable to display them. They must be kept clean and tidy, in a safe condition, must not obscure the meaning of official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs, and they must be removed when required by either the roads or planning authorities. They should also be removed at once when no longer needed (i.e. if the property has been sold or let).
The Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 (new window) makes it an offence to place anything on a public road without consent of the roads authority. This includes any way over which there is a public right of access and includes the road verges, footpaths, bridges or tunnels over or under which the road passes. The council has the right to remove such signs without giving notice.
Below is a list of general questions the planning service is often asked. If you need further advice please call on 01506 282456 or email us at planning@westlothian.gov.uk
Updated 18/04/13