A TEMPORARY banner advertising membership to Darlington Golf Club has been granted planning permission, despite objections concerns over road safety.

The application site, on an area of open land to the east of Green Lane, and north of Whinfield Road, already has a freestanding frame identifying the entrance to the club.

The club wants to attach a banner to the base of the frame until May 1 in an attempt to attract more members.

The banner would sit at ground level and measure some 3m long x 1m high with red, black and blue text, on a white background.

However, local resident John Atkinson raised concerns at Darlington Borough Council’s planning committee about the potential risk of accidents on the busy stretch road.

Mr Atkinson challenged the council traffic officer’s opinion that the banner would not cause a distraction to motorists.

A total of five objections were received by the council, raising the following issues: the signage is inappropriate; the banner will further impair the visual amenity of the proposed site and is out of keeping with the area; the frame was erected some time ago in January 2015 with a banner advertisement and the council asked for it to be removed; and the advertisement will attract passing trade causing traffic problems.

Principal planning officer David Coates told members that the club had previously been asked to remove a similar banner but as this was a temporary application it created no concerns for officers.

He said: “It is important that a business is able to sell its wares and we should really, as the council, support them to do so.”

In response Mr Atkinson said: “I suggest that it should not considered that businesses should be allowed to advertise against the council’s planning regulations. I come back to the fact that the advertising signage didn’t have planning permission last time and the club was asked to remove by the council.”

Despite issues raised about traffic problems, the council’s traffic department raised no concerns about the signage.

The application was unanimously approved by the committee.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Atkinson, who lives adjacent to the club, said: “I don’t how they can approve this sign after the council made the golf club remove the last one in 2015 – I have the email correspondence to show that – yet nothing has changed for this application.

“I also can’t understand how a member of the committee can say he has an interest in the club as his son is a member, yet can still vote.”