The Scottish Government has said staff at a Perth food store must take down a massive bright red illuminated advertising sign as it ‘clutters’ people’s views of the city.
Iceland Foods felt PKC had been harsh not granting it permission to put the near six-metre by three-metre ‘The Food Warehouse’ sign on the southeastern side of its St Catherine’s Retail Park store and decided to put it up anyway.
The company then asked the Scottish Government to review the council’s decision to withhold consent for the sign but one of its reporters has now dismissed the appeal saying it must come down as it is “an overly dominant feature in the street scene”.
Amanda Chisholm said in her decision: “I am aware of the appellant’s arguments that [the sign] merely mirrors the presence of [signs on] other retail units in St Catherine’s North. However, the disparity in size is immediately apparent to the observer: [it] is significantly larger, being the same size as the main signs over the shop doorways.
“In my view [the sign] unnecessarily extends the vibrancy of the northeast facing façade into the less cluttered area around the roundabout.
“In this location I consider [the sign] to be an overly dominant feature in the street scene, mainly because of its size, but also because of its colour and high-level position, all of which is out of step with the general characteristics of the immediate locale and strikes a discordant note.”
