Worksop town centre charity to replace signage after current ones deemed too lurid for conservation area

The Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service (BCVS) is based at the Grade II-listed Old Abbey School House, in Priorswell Road, close to the Canch and within the town’s conservation area.

It is also surrounded by a number of other grade-listed buildings, including the Grade I-listed Priory Church and Worksop Priory Gatehouse, as well as the Grade II*-listed Worksop War Memorial.

But the existing signage was never approved by council planners and it has been deemed that action needs to be taken to make the signage more in-keeping to protect the historic nature of the building and those around it.

A design and access statement says: “The existing signage was never approved by planning services and is not appropriate for the building as with its grade II-listed building status.”

It recommends:

• The large direction sign on the wall is replaced with free-cut lettering (metal rather than plastic), preferably with fixings in the mortar joints rather than in the stone;
• Replace the two large car park signs with smaller signs, again with fixing within the mortar joints;
• Replace the entrance door/name plate sign with either free-cut lettering, a painted timber board, a small metal name plate or perhaps a glass plate (various examples attached);
• The redundant signs on the western entrance door are removed and the door made good.

A report by a Bassetlaw Council planning officer states: “The existing building features signage for the Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service (BCVS), including a large yellow coloured sign which is fixed to a wall within the site.

"The proposed signage is considered to be modest in scale and would be appropriate for the scale of the building and its use. The [new] signage would not result in a proliferation of signage on the building and is considered to help preserve the special architectural or historic interest of the listed building.”

The application has been approved with conditions, including that no new signage can be erected until the current lurid signs are removed.