Frome billboard can go up as planning refusal is overturned

Somerset Council refused permission for the billboard, citing "inappropriate siting and excessive scale"

A decision to reject plans for a new billboard near a railway station has been overturned by the Planning Inspectorate.

Wildstone Estates Ltd can now put up a 6m (19ft) wide and 3m (9ft) high billboard at the junction of Station Approach and the A362 Portway in Frome.

Somerset Council refused permission in 2023, citing the "inappropriate siting and excessive scale" of the billboard.

The decision has been overturned and the council ordered to pay legal costs.

In January 2023, the developer was given permission by Mendip District Council for a digital advertising board in the same location, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Two months later, plans to put up a billboard at the site were refused by Somerset Council as it said it would be "overly prominent" and a "hazard" to highway users.

The Planning Inspectorate acknowledged it would be "prominent" but argued the approved digital version would pose a "significantly greater" risk to road safety than the billboard and overturned the decision.

In a separate ruling, the council was ordered to pay the full legal costs of the appeal on the grounds of "unreasonable behaviour resulting in unnecessary or wasted expense".