Controversial banners for Buxton's lamposts given green light

Last month members of High Peak Borough Council’s development and control committee meeting deferred a planning application to install posters promoting Buxton as a Heritage Action Zone.

They said the designs were ‘inappropriate’, ‘boring’ and did not highlight Buxton at all as they were the standard issue designs from central government.

However, at this month’s development and control meeting the application was brought back before councillors.

Speaking after the meeting Councillor Stewart Young said: “The regeneration team clearly listened to what we had to say and in the last month they have gone away and come up with new designs.

"When this was put forward the application was passed.”

The standard Heritage Action banners will be black at the bottom, blue at the top with the wording ‘Hi Buxton’ on each one.

The new designs will feature the arches from The Square in Buxton and the Palace Hotel.

Councillor Young said: “The original plan was to have the banners along Spring Gardens until 2024 which is too long and people would stop noticing them.

"We have agreed there will be seven poster banners which do have the heritage action zone logo on but we are going to change out the others to advertise the Buxton International Festival, the Fringe and the Gilbert and Sullivan Festival.

"That way we can promote the town and as they keep changing people will pay attention to them a bit more and it will stop them all getting tatty looking.”

At last month’s meeting Councillor David Lomax suggested a letter be written to the government expressing the council’s disappointment with the design to prevent other councils having to deal with the same issues.

The heritage impact statement submitted with the application states: “The banners will be erected on existing lamp post columns which are purposely designed to display flag banners.

“The banners are to be secured, with no moving or audible parts and as such it is not considered that the proposed banners would result in harm to public safety.”