elphin local area plan 2009 - 2015 - Roscommon County Council

Chapter 10: Development Management Guidelines and Standards
• In all other cases, regard to the visual impact of a proposed advertising hoarding and potential of
traffic hazard arising from same will be imperative.
• The scale of display panels must be related to the scale of the buildings and streets in which they
are located.
• Where illuminated hoardings are proposed, their effect on the streetscape during the hours of
darkness and on the amenities of the area, will be considered.
• Display panels may form part of the visual screening around building sites or sites awaiting redevelopment.
In such cases, temporary permissions will be considered where appropriately sized
panels form an integral part of an overall boundary treatment and do not comprise more than half
of the total surface area of such treatment.
• As a general rule, planning permissions for outdoor advertising will be limited to a maximum of
three years in the first instance, to enable the position to be reviewed by the Planning Authority in
light of changing circumstances at the end of that period.
• The number and scale of hoardings in the vicinity of the site will be a material consideration.
10.16.2 Fingerpost Signage
The erection of fingerpost signs on public roads require a licence or planning permission from the
Planning Authority and should comply with the following:
• Directional signs for major tourist attractions and community purposes will be considered but
product advertising will not be permitted.
• Signs must have a standard size and colour and be maintained by the owner of the premises
advertised.
• Signs which interfere with the Local Authority’s directional signs or which contribute to visual
clutter will not be permitted.
• Signs will not be permitted where they detract from areas of amenity or interfere with views and
prospects
10.16.3 Rural Advertising
No advertising hoardings (billboards) will be permitted in the open countryside. Consideration may be
given to the provision of advertising panels at lay-bys outside built up areas, where facilities in these areas
can be listed, and the traders can advertise in a fashion that would provide information to passers-by
without interference to the amenities of the area. If external illumination is proposed, documentation shall
be provided that clearly shows that the blight or glare from such illumination will not adversely affect
pedestrian and vehicular traffic or adjacent properties. The use of trailers as advertising signs is considered
to be a material change of use of the land and requires planning permission.
10.17 TOURISM (To be read in conjunction with Chapter 8)
The Council recognises that tourism development can make an important contribution to the economy of
the county. In particular, it is acknowledged that tourism provides jobs and investment in parts of the
county that might not otherwise benefit from economic development. The Council will encourage and
facilitate in co-operation with relevant agencies involved in tourism, the improvement of the existing
amenity and viewing areas as well as the provision of additional areas where required. The Council will
protect the amenities of the county from insensitive or inappropriate development, particularly any
development that threatens the tourism resources of the county.
The Council will seek to ensure that features that make Roscommon attractive to tourists will be protected
not just from other forms of development, but from the adverse effects of the tourist industry itself. The
relationship between tourism and the environment must be managed in a way that tourism continues to
support local communities and remains viable in the long term.
Elphin Local Area Plan 2009-2015 Page 135