Lidl sign refused planning permission

Lidl applied for retrospective planning permission for the billboard

A sign for supermarket Lidl has been ruled too "intrusive" for a coastal location.

Dorset Council said the roadside advertising billboard in Portland was out of place, especially so close to the Chesil beach.

Reviewing the case for a retrospective planning application, the council's head of planning Mike Garrity said the sign was "an incongruous and poor-quality advertisement that detracts from the more pleasant built and natural environment that surrounds it".

Dorset Council's policy is usually to try and find a negotiated solution. Lidl also has the right to appeal.

The 4.75m tall and 6.3m wide advertising sign was put up just off the Hamm Roundabout without consent.

"It detracts from the amenity of the area and causes harm to the visual quality of the area appearing visually intrusive adjacent to the Unesco World Heritage Site and the wider design quality of the built and natural environment character and appearance of the area," said Mr Garrity.

Chesil Beach is part of the Jurassic COAST, a Unesco World Heritage Site

Dorset Council Highway officers had offered no objection to the sign which they said, in terms of highway terms alone, was adequately set back from the main road.

The report from the department said that provided the sign was not moving and was either un-lit, or safely lit, to not distract drivers they would raise no objection.

Portland town council also raised no objection to the sign and said it supported Lidl’s retrospective application.

Lidl will need to make a case to the Planning Inspectorate if it wishes to appeal the decision.

The supermarket and the council may decide to negotiate, to see if changes to the size or design would make it acceptable at that location.

The council could take enforcement action to get the sign taken down, should all other courses of action fail.

The BBC has contacted Dorset Council and Lidl for comment.