Blackpool hotel sign refused over road safety fears

Town hall planners refused the application for the sign outside The Ruskin Hotel on Albert Road because it was too close to the highway and the junction with Coronation Street.

A report setting out the decision, which was made using delegated powers, says: “The signage as proposed would be sited in close proximity to the highway, facing directly towards any vehicle approaching the site and the nearby traffic light junction from the south.

“As such, an LED sign with changing images could be a significant distraction to motorists, especially in the context of the traffic signals in place at the junction.”

Planners added while LED signs had been allowed elsewhere in Blackpool, there was a danger of harming the character of Albert Road which is one of the resort’s main holiday streets.

If a precedent was set, it could result in “overwhelming visual clutter and competition between premises that would detract markedly from the character, appearance and quality of the street scene.”

The council also says “signs that are designed and sited solely to attract attention in competition with other accommodation or to announce temporary promotions and offers will be strongly discouraged”.

Hotelier Tony Banks had applied for planning permission for a two metre by one-and-half metre freestanding LED screen in front of the railings at The Ruskin Hotel which he owns.