Food store’s sign bid refused

Perth and Kinross Council has refused to grant a company retrospective consent to keep an “overly dominant” sign on the side of a food store at St Catherine’s Retail Park in Perth.

Iceland Foods tried to overturn a previous decision by the council to withhold consent for the bright red illuminated sign on the southeastern side of The Food Warehouse earlier this year.

It appealed to the Scottish Government for a final decision but a reporter dismissed the case after concluding the unauthorised sign was “an overly dominant feature in the street scene” and was “out of step with the general characteristics of the immediate locale”.

Now Iceland Foods has lost another bid to keep the sign up after a PKC official decided the company’s latest offer to vinyl wrap the sign with a grey border as well as shrink its lettering in exchange for consent, would not significantly reduce its visual impact.

The unnamed officer said in their report of handling: “The proposal is to retain the existing box sign and vinyl wrap it to give the appearance of a smaller sign.

“Whilst the lettering will be reduced in size ,the box will still retain its original size, be illuminated and will retain its high-level position.”

The officer went on: “The premises are situated on a highly prominent area on the entrance into the retail park which can be viewed from outwith and from the nearby roundabout which provides access into not only St Catherine’s Retail Park but also St Catherine’s Retail Park South.

“The proposed signage on the side elevation would disrupt the reasonably harmonious approach to advertisement signage that is currently a positive feature within this newly upgraded retail park.”