COUNCILLORS went against the recommendation of local authority officers last week to grant permission for a more than 14-foot illuminated sign in an Andover business park.

At a meeting of the Test Valley Borough Council Northern Area Planning Committee last Thursday (June 23), members spent approximately an hour discussing a plan put forward by vehicle repair firm BP Rolls for a new illuminated sign outside its premises on Hopkinson Way, Portway Business Park.

The proposed sign would be around 4.5 metres in height, or 14 feet 7 inches, with the same width, of approximately 1.68 metres from top to bottom.

The sign would be illuminated by LED lights, but would not be lit from 8pm to 6am.

The application comes after BP Rolls had plans for a similar sign - which was two metres taller - rejected in April, and was recommended for refusal once again by council officers on the grounds that it would not fit in with the character of the area.

They said: “We are very lucky in Test Valley that we have attractive industrial estates. There is a spaciousness to them. Part of the reason it’s attractive is because of the low level signage.”

However, councillors disagreed and opted to grant permission for the sign with seven votes in favour and two abstentions.

Cllr Burley said: “We are concerned about amenity - but whose amenity are we worried about?”

Cllr Borg-Neal added: “I see this sign as part of the future. I believe the character of the area is changing and will continue to change.”

Many councillors also raised concerns about the safety of small directing signs, which they said cause people to drive dangerously to spot.

Cllr David Coole said: “I have driven slowly down that road in the dark with a torch out trying to see signs.”

Cllr Jim Neal added: “This sign is illuminating a thriving business.

“When the HGVs are parked along there, anything smaller and you would miss it!”