Pavement permit rise to be approved

The cost of a new pavement permit will more than double – but the increase is not as severe as feared.

Shops and businesses have been used to paying £50 for a permit to display goods or other items on the pavements outside their buildings.

But complaints were received last year, when Shropshire Council proposed increasing the cost to £413 for a new applicant, or £311 for a renewal.

Now Shropshire Council’s Place Overview Committee is set to be asked to give its verdict on a proposed new cost of £213 for a new permit, or £113 for a renewal.

Danial Webb, overview and scrutiny officer, said: “It is recommended that Shropshire Council proceed with its intention to increase its charges for pavement permit licences to £213 for a new licence and £113 for an annual renewal.

“Revised licence charges for pavement permits and for housing development signs will ensure that services remain sustainable and that the businesses that benefit from the amenity are those that pay for the licensing.

“A failure to achieve any of these outcomes would risk unsustainable or ineffective services, which would in turn have a detrimental effect on Shropshire’s street scene, particularly in retail centres.”

He added that a new policy is also being lined up for the use of A boards.

“Agreeing a new policy for A boards will provide certainty to businesses about how they can deploy them,” he said.

“It will also provide expected standards of design and location that will mitigate the impact of A board on footpath users. 

“It will also provide the opportunity for town and parish councils to contribute additional policy that is relevant to their local area.

“In December 2018, the Place Overview Committee received a report from the council’s traffic manager that outlined a potential new policy for A boards in Shropshire. 

“This policy sought to limit the number of A boards a business could deploy, and provided guidelines to ensure that they did not impede other highway users. 

“The committee concluded that the policy did not, and could not, adequately address the unique concerns of different town centres. 

“It recommended that the traffic manager consult with town and parish councils, to determine the extent to which they would welcome delegated powers to administer their own licensing schemes for A boards.”

The committee will discuss the proposals at a meeting next Thursday at Shirehall.