§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
On what basis the large advertising hoardings displayed along the north side of the Witham bypass on the A.12 trunk road have been allowed to remain, given that the advice contained in the Planning Policy Note on Outdoor Advertisement Control makes it clear that advertising is out of place in the open countryside; and whether they regard it as satisfactory that the Braintree District Council, who own the site and derive revenue from the hoardings, should be allowed to give planning consent in this instance. [HL1465]
§ Baroness HaymanParliament has entrusted local planning authorities with the responsibility for advertisement control in their areas, and Braintree District Council's decisions to allow the hoardings which border the A.12 trunk road at Witham were properly arrived at after the council had taken into account all the material considerations, including the relevant government advice on the siting of outdoor advertisements. The hoardings at Witham are located on the edge of an industrial estate and not within open countryside, but the district council will be reviewing the suitability of the hoardings when the existing advertisement control consents expire early in 1999.