Amendment C226 - Sign Policy - Whittlesea Council

Council has prepared Amendment C226wsea to the Whittlesea Planning Scheme. The amendment seeks to implement local policies to guide the development of land for signs within the Municipality.

What area does the amendment apply to?

The Amendment applies to all land within the City of Whittlesea, except for land within Epping Central Precincts 4A, 6, and 7 as defined in the Epping Central Framework Plan, Plan 1 to the Schedule of the Activity Centre Zone.

What changes are proposed?

The following changes to the Whittlesea Planning Scheme are sought:

Amend Clause 02.03-5 (Built Environment and Heritage) of the Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) by including new sections and editing others;
Introduce a new Clause 15.01-1L (Signs) with a new local planning policy that offers a municipal wide application and responds to contemporary signage designs, technologies and practices; and,
Amend Clause 18.02-3L - Signs adjacent the Metropolitan Ring Road to reflect policy updates.

Why is the Amendment required?

Unlike most local councils across Victoria, the City of Whittlesea does not have a metropolitan-wide policy that provides guidance on advertising signs when a planning permit is triggered. The existing signs policy in the Whittlesea Planning Scheme only relates to signs abutting the metropolitan ring road and is therefore very limited in its application.

The new policy will address the following consistent concerns that arise with advertising signs:

Encourage the use of clear, well-designed signs that complement the development upon which they are displayed;
Discourage visual clutter by taking existing signs into account when assessing new proposals, and encouraging business identification signs to be located on properties rather than promotion signs that relate to businesses or events elsewhere;
Encourage a precinct-based approach to signs in residential, commercial and industrial estates;
Encourage a design-led approach to the perimeter signs that are used to shroud construction works;
Restrict the use of bunting, banners, trailers, balloons and streamers as permanent signs, to motor vehicle sales premises;
Ensure portable signs are well secured and limited in number and size to avoid visual clutter;
Ensure that sponsorship signs proposed for community open space are compatible with the natural and built environment.

What is the purpose of the Amendment?

The purpose of the Amendment is to implement a near municipality wide policy on signs.

The policy:

provides updated and clear guidance with respect to a range of sign typologies while also addressing emerging issues and changes in technology and advertising practices.
targets areas that consistently cause problems or delay processing of planning applications.
provides transparency to businesses and the community about how Council will apply its discretion under the Whittlesea Planning Scheme, when considering planning applications for signs.