Advertising boards and display of goods on the highway in Great Yarmouth

All advertising boards or displays placed on the highway are obstructions and are potentially subject to controls under:

• sections 137, 143, 148 and 149 of the Highways Act 1980
• sections 224-225 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990

From 8 August 2020, no A-boards, advertising displays or other forms of advertising will be permitted to cause an obstruction on the highway at the following locations in Great Yarmouth, in order to support social distancing and trading in the light of COVID-19:

• Market Place
• Regent Road
• Marine Parade

Historically, the Borough Council has had a protocol in place to generally allow (and not enforce against) certain advertising items, unless it was causing an immediate danger or an unreasonable obstruction.

This protocol will be suspended with effect from 8 August 2020 as part of the temporary measures to support the safe and sustainable reopening of our non-essential retail and hospitality sectors, helping customers to maintain safe social distancing and helping to support applications from food and drink businesses for pavement licences. 

With the extra highways space required (this includes footpaths and pavements), all A-boards, advertising displays, advertising figures and trade stands on the highway, in the borough, are very likely to constitute dangerous obstructions. Public safety is the top priority, and social distancing is critical to reducing our risk of a local lockdown which would be so damaging to tourism and retail sectors.

Council officers will enforce the position on A-boards, advertising displays and other advertising figures and trade stands when they go out and about to check in with businesses. If you are a business in the above locations and have any in place currently, then please remove them and raise any questions with the officer when they visit.