Landscape & Environment - Advertising on Roundabouts - Latest News
Oxfordshire's advertising-free countryside at risk as CPRE forced to abandon its claim for Judicial Review
11th July 2011
CPRE Oxfordshire has for some years been trying to protect Oxfordshire's advertising-free countryside from the introduction of commercial advertising by South Oxfordshire District Council, which claims that it is entitled to flout its own planning policies on advertising on roundabouts in rural areas, when it is in its own interest to do so.
In April 2011, after SODC decided to sign up for another five years to its contentious roundabout advertising scheme, CPRE asked the High Court for a Judicial Review of the Council’s actions. Mr Justice Collins, Queens Bench Administrative Division, in response to our request for Judicial Review said that while our claim is just arguable, he urged us to consider that we risked substantial costs in proceeding.
In the circumstances, we felt that we had made the case against the way SODC had proceeded, but it would not be good use of the limited funds of our charitable trust to risk heavy costs against us, especially as SODC would be likely to brief expensive Counsel. As a result, CPRE has written to the Courts, and to SODC, announcing that we have abandoned our claim for Judicial Review.
In the Judge’s observations, Mr Collins questioned the validity of the Council’s main line of argument - that roundabouts were maintained by the income from the advertising - especially as that applied to ‘designated areas’, such as AONBs and Green Belt. Indeed, the judge dismissed this justification for the adverts, saying it could not make what would otherwise be unacceptable, acceptable.
We trust that SODC will give consideration to the Judge’s opinion and reconsider its policy on advertising on roundabouts.
CPRE asks High Court to rule on SODC’s claim that it can ignore its own policies to protect the countryside
11th April 2011
The Oxfordshire Branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) is challenging South Oxfordshire District Council’s (SODC) claim that it is entitled to flout its own planning policies when it is in its own interest to do so.
“SODC acknowledged they were breaching their own policies, but they went ahead anyway” said Michael Tyce, Chairman of CPRE Thame District. “If the Council SODC think it is OK for them to flout the policies to protect our rural environment, then it leaves those who care for the countryside no option but to take them to the courts.”
CPRE has today asked the High Court for a Judicial Review of the Councillor’s actions.
See: CPRE Oxfordshire’s Press Release, 11th April 2011 (PDF)
CPRE deplores South Oxfordshire decision to continue with commercial advertising on roundabouts
16th February 2011
Responding to SODC’s decision at its Cabinet Meeting on 14th February, to sign up for another five years to its contentious roundabout advertising scheme, Michael Tyce, CPRE Chairman for Thame District, said in a Press Release, issued on 16th February:
“We deplore what South Oxfordshire is doing. The spread of commercial advertising into rural areas was one of the threats which led to the foundation of CPRE in Oxfordshire eighty years ago.
In a St Valentine’s Day Massacre South Oxfordshire District Council has blown away its own policies to protect the environment, the concept of Localism, road safety, and the interest of taxpayers in getting the best deal.
This at a time when other Councils are acting to remove unlawful roundabout advertising which blights the environment, and responding to Government requests that they should be cracking down on advertising clutter”.
See: CPRE Oxfordshire Press Release, 16th February 2011 (PDF)
Scrutiny Committee approves SODC’s scheme for advertisements on roundabouts
26th January 2011
The Scrutiny Committee last night (25th January) confirmed the decision of the Planning Committee and approved SODC’s scheme for advertisements on roundabouts.
Only two out of ten Councillors voted against.
CPRE is examining the potential for legally challenging the decision.
The Cabinet will be meeting shortly to consider whether to proceed with the scheme, and may or may not take the Scrutiny Committee's views into account.
See: Extract from Planning Committee Minutes, 12th January 2011 (annotated) (PDF)
CPRE calls on Scrutiny Committee to prevent the advertising on roundabouts scheme being implemented in South Oxfordshire
20th January 2011
In a letter to the Scrutiny Committee, which meets on 25th January to consider SODC’s applications for advertising on roundabouts in the district, CPRE Oxfordshire has requested the Committee to use its best offices to prevent the advertising on roundabouts scheme being implemented in the District, and to ensure that if it is to be implemented residents and taxpayers achieve the best deal available by requiring competitive tenders contrary to the officers recommendation.
See: CPRE’s letter to Scrutiny Committee (19th January) (PDF)
See: Images of roundabouts in SODC in contrast with those in VoWH (PDF)
Councillors vote in favour of advertising on roundabouts
14th January 2011
CPRE was very disappointed, but not surprised, when at the Planning Committee meeting on 12th January councillors voted in favour of all three roundabout applications. However, there was a slightly better than expected result of an average of 6 votes to 3.
The Scrutiny Committee, which will be meeting on 25th January – which is balanced politically as distinct from the Planning Committee which has an overwhelming Conservative majority - will consider the contract and the advisability of entering into it, but cannot overturn the Planning Committee's decision. The Cabinet will then decide whether to proceed, and may or may not take the Scrutiny Committee's views into account.
CPRE Oxfordshire is considering a legal challenge and is currently getting legal advice.
CPRE exposes SODC's renewed attempt to whitewash its breaches of planning control
11th January 2011
CPRE Oxfordshire scrutinises Officer's Reports on roundabout advertising in advance of the Planning Committee on 12th January, and in recent letters to county councillors exposes SODC's renewed attempt to whitewash its breaches of planning control.
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.6 (PDF)
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.7 (PDF)
See: Previous letters below
SODC are to stop sponsoring the Benson roundabout after the £3,000 cost considered a waste of cash
8th December 2010
South Oxfordshire District Council pays £2,950 a year to display four adverts on the Crowmarsh Gifford roundabout close to its offices in Benson Lane.
It is now looking for other companies to take over the advertising boards, which CPRE Oxfordshire claim are unsightly and a distraction to motorists.
Michael Tyce, spokesman for the Oxfordshire Branch of CPRE, said: “It cannot possibly be in the taxpayers’ interest for the district council to advertise itself. The advertising boards’ purpose is to distract motorists – no one else is going to see them.”
The district council controls whether roundabout signs are allowed by granting advertising consent as part of its planning powers to control the street scene.
There are 103 advertising spots on 28 roundabouts across the district, and about 60 per cent are currently in use. The first went up in January 2006.
It is now applying to renew advertising consent for all private business signs on roundabouts for another five years. A decision is expected on January 12.
CPRE Oxfordshire has objected to SODC's planning application (see below).
CPRE has also written a series of letters to affected county councillors explaining why they should object to SODC's planning application (see below).
See: CPRE's objection to SODC's planning application (PDF)
See: Wallingford Herald (8 December) (external website)
See: Oxford Times (8 December) (external website)
See: CPRE letter to Thame council (12 October) (PDF)
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.1 (12 October) (PDF)
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.2 (16 October) (PDF)
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.2 (16 October) - accompanying document (PDF)
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.3 (PDF)
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.4 (PDF)
See: CPRE letter to county councillors no.5 (PDF)
Dangerous Signs should Stay, says County Council
2nd December 2010
The County Council has at last publicly acknowledged that the advertising signs it allowed to be erected five years ago on its roundabouts in South Oxfordshire are both unpermitted and a traffic hazard.
In County Highways’ formal response to the current planning applications submitted by South Oxfordshire DC, Huw Vaughan Jones, the Principal Highway Engineer, says: “it is considered that the unpermitted signs, as installed, could constitute a highways distraction and therefore an objectionable level of potential risk to highways safety”.
Ever since the County Council signed a deal with South Oxfordshire DC to erect commercial advertising signs in January 2006,CPRE have been campaigning against these, not just on the grounds of highways safety but of bringing commercial advertising into our advertising free area contrary to the District Council’s specific policies.
Michael Tyce, of the Oxfordshire Campaign to Protect Rural England, says: “The cover-up by the two Local Authorities has been truly shocking. The District Council persistently declared that the signs had planning permission when they knew they did not, and that they could do nothing to stop the flouting of their own policies to protect the countryside which they themselves were engaged in. They have repeatedly denied, until now, that the signs represent a safety hazard, when it is obvious that their only purpose is to distract motorists attention at a critical moment. This means that for almost five years the County Council, who are responsible for highway safety, have knowingly promoted or colluded in a scheme which endangers it”.
The reason why the Councils were willing to ignore their responsibilities is that the advertising contractor had agreed to take over roundabout maintenance on which the County Council was spending just £1,500 a year. The District Council got nothing except the satisfaction of advertising itself, for which it paid. Under the proposed new contract the District Council will also get up to £8,400 a year in cash, depending on how much advertising space is sold.
It is for these paltry sums that the District Council has been willing to overlook its responsibilities as planning guardian and the County Council to overlook its duty to protect highway safety.
The original five year contract term for the signs is now running out, and the District Council has submitted applications to itself for planning permission to continue its 103 signs on 28 roundabouts for another five years. Despite admitting that the signs are hazardous, the County Council is not objecting.
The public has a very different view. Of the eleven parishes and towns in which the roundabouts are sited, nine have so far strongly opposed the scheme, including Crowmarsh, SODC’s HQ, where the roundabout advertises the District Council itself at taxpayer's cost and Thame, where the District Councillor who sponsored the scheme, David Dodds, also sits as a Town Councillor. Resident's reactions have also been very hostile.
Michael Tyce adds:
“District Councillors are meeting on December 15th to decide whether this dangerous and damaging scheme should be allowed to continue. They will have a chance to follow the clearly expressed wish of parishes, towns and residents to enforce the Council’s own policies protecting the countryside from commercial clutter, and to make our roads safer by removing an acknowledged safety hazard. Or they can bow to the pressure from their Leaders to give their approval to this shameful scheme.”
CPRE submits its response to SODC’s application for advertising on roundabouts
30th October 2010
CPRE has submitted its response to SODC’s retrospective planning application for advertising on its roundabouts.
District Councillors will meet on December 15th to decide the fate of the application.
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