66 Wicklow Avenue, Croydon VIC 3136

Please make this subject to being switched off at close of business. It is nice to return to a calm, non illuminated, charged environment when the day is done.

Additionally, as a night shift worker, driving to and from work in the very early hours of the morning, it’s exhausting to be constantly blinded by fluorescent signs when the business doesn’t need to be displaying them.

For the environment sake too, we don’t need to be burning coal to light signs 24/7.

Please let’s have a mandatory off button, that is if these lights are absolutely essential in the first place…?

The display of signage illuminated at night is a matter that needs to be carefully considered regarding its necessity, response to context, the Decision Guidelines, and the Clause 65 VPP matters.

I consider that the matters regarding needing a permit, and impacts upon amenity apply whether the signage is erected on a street or boundary wall, roof, inside a glazed area and that the defining element of it impacting upon community amenity and character is that if it is visible from the public realm, a road, and/or any surrounding site.

An illuminated sign may be erected very much within the site boundary but still have unacceptable impacts beyond the boundary because its actual effect as well as intent, is to be visible beyond the site and especially to the public realm and also any road.

The display of illuminated signage at this site at night, fails to respond appropriately to the context, heritage overlay and Clause 65 VPP.

The display of illuminated signage at this site at night, beyond the trading hours of a business, will dominate the surroundings and respond negatively to both the context and emerging character.

There is a real risk that illuminated signage may dominate the surroundings given the context of the surrounding uses. An excessive amount of illuminated signage may create excessive visual clutter impacting pedestrian and road user safety, and wayfinding by pedestrians particularly impaired persons.

I urge the responsible authority to refuse the application for a permit unless these conditions if imposed are acceptable to the applicant:

1 That the signage use be for business identification purposes only and not the promotion nor display of any other advertisement, images, trademarks, branding or insignia;
2 That the total area of any illuminated sign is to not exceed 0.5 square metre;
3 That the signage be only illuminated between the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00 pm on Monday through Friday inclusive, except at any times that the business premises is open for trade outside of these hours and then only during those times;
4 That the signage not be erected upon the roof or erected within or upon a street wall, anywhere above an awning, if it is to be illuminated at any time between 7:00 pm and 7:00 am;
5 Should any occupant of the site desire to place upon the site any illuminated or non-illuminated sign depicting any imagery, branding or insignia associated with any liquor, bookmaking or gambling activity, so that it may be viewed from the public realm or any other lands, that it be only upon the responsible authority granting a permit after all residents of the suburb are notified of any such application for a permit and the matter has been considered according to all of the relevant planning grounds.