Reviewing planning policies

I have two new phrases that I hope will, one day, become mainstream. First is a great Indonesian word ‘Neko-Neko’, which is basically a person who has loads of great ideas—and all of them make things worse.

I am sure we have all experienced ‘Neko-Nekoism’, if there is such a word, ourselves in our lifetime and it is endemic so expect to be your own Neko-Neko in the future both professionally and in your private life. In fact, I would wager that during the last twelve months, everyone was a Neko-Neko at some time on even the smallest and most insignificant great idea. Facebook and You Tube are full of videos that prove my point.

But I am not here to tell you how to conduct your life and what great ideas you should and should not follow through with—far from it. You are an adult and you alone must face the consequences of your decisions. All I am doing is telling Humpty Dumpty that that wall looks a bit high to sit on.

If you want my advice…

Professionally though, here are a couple of great ideas that the BSGA has, on behalf of the sign industry, suggested that they at least need another look at if not dropping completely.

These examples concern a couple of local authorities who in the last three months have decided to review their planning policies relevant to advertisements and signs with some great ideas. By the way, this is just two local authorities out of the annual number of around 40 reviews. All local authorities review their policies from time to time and every year, it is a different 40 or so who do and they all have great ideas.


Halton Borough Council in their proposed planning policy is seeking the power to not permit signs that are unrelated to the site. What a great idea.

First off, such a policy is not permitted by regulations. But why let a National Policy or Practical Guidance interfere with a local authority coming up with and implementing such great ideas?

Secondly, would you expect to be prevented placing an ‘off-premises’ sign directing people to your site? Would you expect businesses remote from main roads and whose viability depends wholly or partially on passing trade e.g. pubs, restaurants, tourist accommodation, and attractions etc. to not want to be able to direct potential business their way? Or, should bus shelters and telephone kiosks only promote bus shelters or telephone kiosks?

Next, Burnley Borough Council’s great idea is that all shopfront signs should be at facia level and that illumination must ‘first be acceptable on some sort of agreed principle—and even then, restricted to external illumination only’.

Continuing the theme, Burnley B.C. desire that external illumination is normally required (troughs or spotlights).

‘Large’ spotlights and swan-neck should be avoided as should internally illuminated box signs. That includes, in their view, halo illuminated letters and signs. What a great idea. Aside from the proposal being wrong on so many levels, what is a ‘large’ spotlight? On a retail park superstore, a ‘large’ spotlight may look very small.



We have suggested to Burnley B.C. that advertisements/signs should normally be contained within the frame of the shopfront where there is one. Facia boards should not extend over first floor windows.
Advertisements/signs displayed above facia level may be acceptable (e.g. projecting, hanging signs) provided they are designed to be complementary, do not appear overbearing, and do not obscure any architectural features. Imaginative craft sign work will be supported and encouraged.

So, despite saying I am not telling you what to do, my turn to be Neko-Neko with a great idea. Why don’t you, the individual sign-maker, get down to your local authority (and any other authority that you may be selling a sign into), read up on all their current policies as well as National Policies and Guidelines, and get on their consultation list so that you can argue your case when these sorts of great ideas come out.

Or, you, the individual sign-maker, club together with fellow and likeminded sign-makers and form and support some sort of organisation that could do all this for you and then, oh wait. Just a minute, let me think about this great idea a bit more as I think such an organisation already exists.


I mention this BSGA planning activity all the time in my conversations with sign-makers so that hopefully, people realise that we are trying to make the marketplace a much more congenial place to sell your wares into. So much so that I am a wee bit wabbit (my second new phrase).


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