South Gloucestershire Council

If you would like to put up a road sign directing visitors to a particular tourist, business, leisure or educational establishment, you need permission from the council. We have to place limits on the number of signs on the highway. This is because too many signs can be distracting to road users and could mean they miss crucial warning signs or orders. Signs can also spoil the character of an area.

Therefore, we have developed a policy to assess which businesses or attractions merit road signs giving directions. If you answer yes to the following questions, your establishment may be eligible:

• Are you open at least 4 hours a day for 150 days a year
• Are you outside a main town centre
• Are you a permanent establishment
• Are you open to the casual passing visitor
• Do you have adequate parking facilities
• Are you prepared to pay the full costs of any signing scheme

Tourist attractions

Following the Department for Transport’s deregulation of tourist road signs in 1995, South Gloucestershire Council formulated a policy for assessing the suitability of tourist attractions eligible for white and brown tourist signs.

For signing purposes, a tourist destination is broadly described as a permanently established attraction or facility which attracts or is used by visitors to an area and is open to the public without prior booking during its normal opening hours. Tourist attractions might include museums, parks and gardens, theme parks, visitor centres, historic buildings, zoos, nature reserves, sports centres and venues, theatres and cinemas and areas of special interest.

Our signing policy requires that all the costs involved in the design, manufacture and erection of tourist signs are met by person or group requesting it.