Noticeboards

Everyone will see your noticeboard when they pass by the church. Make a good first impression.

We can help you make sure your noticeboard sends the right message.

Download our guidance

Noticeboards

Blue sign in front of the church building with name of the church

St Thomas of Canterbury, Elsfield

Have a good design

A good design is vital. And one made specifically for your church says more about you. Don’t be afraid to hire a professional designer.

Think about:

The setting

Make sure the board looks good in its surroundings.

Think of its colour, materials and font. Do your best to design a board that adds something to the scene.

Is it readable?

This is the most important thing.

The information should be clear, concise and legible. Less is more!

Consider access issues – Clear Print guidelines make text more legible for everyone, including those with visual impairments.

Have a good contrast between the colours of the background and of the letters (e.g. white on blue or dark on pale). Avoid the colour red.

Use letters big enough for people to see.

Remember, a noticeboard is not a poster.

The logos

Only use logos and symbols that can be clearly understood.

Is it durable?

Think about the effects that weather, time and vandals might have on the board. Choose your materials carefully.

“A cheap job will always look cheap and rarely pays in the long run. Make sure that the board is worthy of your church.”
Church Buildings Council

What should it say?

Your noticeboard should have:

Regular service times
Key contact information
How to access the church outside of service times
Your website

Avoid information that will quickly be out-of-date.

How should you say it?

A passer-by should be able to quickly and easily understand the message of the board. It is vital to use:

Accessible language
A tone that reflects the character of the church and its worship style
A clear, concise and engaging voice

Who should you consult?

You should talk to:

Your inspecting architect or surveyor about the design
Your diocese for guidance and advice
The local authority about advertisement consent

What type of permissions do you need?

Under List A The repair, repainting, or like-for-like replacement of a noticeboard can be done without permission on condition that the wording is not changed, apart from updating information. If it is a replacement, the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2007 must be complied with, that the board is not illuminated and any ground disturbance is kept to a minimum.

Under List B, the introduction, replacement or alteration of a noticeboard requires permission from the Archdeacon as long as the board is not illuminated and follows the Town and Country Planning Regulation 2007.

All other works will need a faculty, and you should consult your DAC in the first instance

Under the Town and Country Planning Regulations 2007, the display of advertisements require consent from the local planning authority before they are introduced; however, there are certain categories of deemed consent so long as the advertisements comply with certain conditions. Unless the proposed advertisements fall within one of these categories and meet all of the conditions, express advertisement consent will be required from the local planning authority.

The regulations contain 17 classes of advertisements for which you don’t need permission from the local planning authority as long you meet specific conditions.

We think that category 2A and category 2C are the most likely to apply to churches and churchyards:

Deemed consent: Category 2A

This covers “advertisements displayed for the purposes of identification, direction or warning with respect to the land or building on which it is displayed”.

Your advertisement should:

Not be larger than 0.3 square meter in area
Not have any character or symbol on it which is more than 0.75 metre in height
Not be more than 4.6 meters above ground level
Not have any illumination

You can have as many advertisements like this as you need.

If you meet all these conditions, then you can set up your advertisement without the written permission of the local planning authority.

Find out more about the requirements for consent

Deemed consent: Category 2C

This covers “advertisements relating to any institution of a religious character at the premises where it is displayed”.

Your advertisement should:

Not be larger than 1.2 square metres in area
Not have any character or symbol on it which is more than 0.75 metre in height
Not be more than 4.6 metres above ground level
Not have any illumination

You can only have one advertisement like this, unless your church has entrances on two different roads. Then, you can have two: one on each road front.

If you meet all these conditions, then you can set up your advertisement without the written permission of the local planning authority.

Find out more about the requirements for consent

Areas of special control

Your churchyard might be in an area of special control. If it is, then the conditions for deemed consent are more restrictive. There also might be other regulations specific to the area.

Contact your local planning authority to find out if your churchyard is in an area of special control, and what specific conditions you need to adhere to.

Their websites don’t always give out this information.

Find out more about areas of special control

Other categories of deemed consent

There are other categories of deemed consent which might, in rarer situations, apply:

category 2B (“An advertisement relating to any person, partnership or company separately carrying on a profession, business or trade at the premises where it is displayed”);
category 3C (“An advertisement relating to the carrying out of building or similar work on the land on which it is displayed,”);
category 3D (“ An advertisement announcing any local event of a religious, educational, cultural, political, social or recreational character, or relating to any temporary matter in connection with an event or local activity of such a character”);
categories 7A and 7B (“advertisements on flags”). In each case, there are conditions that would need to be met before consent can be deemed.

Warning:

There are 17 classes of deemed consent. We have only summarised those we think will be the most common. You should seek further legal advice where it is required.

You might be fined £2,500 if you fail to comply with the regulations. The PCC could be liable for this. Avoid the risk and contact your local planning authority as early as possible.

This advice has been adapted from a note issued by Oxford Diocesan Registry.