Bid to keep advert boards at sports club refused

An application to keep 15 advertising signs on the site has been refused

A retrospective application to keep 15 advertising boards dubbed an "eyesore" along a roadside has been refused.

The 2m (6.5ft) boards are in place outside Silsden Sports Club, at the edge of Keighley Road, with applicants saying they had stood there for more than 12 years.

Planning permission was sought earlier this summer, although Bradford Council officers noted the application was made after the council began enforcement action.

Officers said the signs were "out of keeping with the area" and "create a cluttered appearance on the boundary of the site".

The application, submitted by John Lohan, committee member at Silsden Sports Club, drew three objections, with one describing the signs as "an eyesore", according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Council officers said: "The applicant contends that the signage has been in place for over 12 years, however this is disputed by both objectors and publicly accessible evidence gained by the Planning Service.

"Furthermore, there is no history of any authorised advertisements on the site.

"The hoardings are situated on poles above the boundary wall of the sports club in a very prominent position on the side of a busy road into Silsden.

"The number of signs and the combined scale appear out of keeping with the area in which they are displayed."

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