Signs for tourist attractions and facilities

All applicants are subject to the fees and costs laid out below. There are no exemptions for charities or local government organisations. 

Directional signs erected within the highway must: 

• comply with the current traffic signs regulations and general directions 
• have received our approval or approval from National Highways for trunk roads 

Applicants can expect a three-tier payment consisting of:

• application fee 
• design fee 
• works cost 

Every five years, a re-vetting fee is payable if the signs are to remain in the highway. 

County councillors agree all fee rates and increases. The appropriate rates for the current period will be charged at each process stage. 

The applicants must meet the costs involved in a signing scheme.

Costs

Application fee

An initial application fee of £150 for vetting applications, paid online, regardless of outcome.  

This sum contributes towards the cost of: 

• administrative time in checking eligibility 
• assessing entitlement 
• site feasibility studies 
• consultations with Lincolnshire Tourism, district and parish councils (and National Highways, where necessary). 

If successful, we will inform the applicants of the proposed type, number, and extent of any approved signing, together with a design charge.

Applications that receive objections during the vetting process will be informed of the nature of the objections and who has made them. The officer dealing with the application will work with the objectors to try to resolve the issue.

We will inform the applicant if their application is refused, giving reasons.

An online application process sends automated emails and timed reminders. For this reason, it is vital the applicant provides an up-to-date and correctly entered email address. If an applicant fails to respond to a required action, we will attempt to contact them by other methods, using information available on websites.

An application will be archived if: 

• more than six months have elapsed since the date of the last correspondence
• there has been no further contact from the applicant

Any subsequent application will start from the beginning.  Current fees will apply. 

Design fee

The design charge is £100 for each approved sign location. This charge is payable online, in advance of design, and covers: 

• site investigation and risk assessment 
• sign designs 
• plan preparation 
• quotation for supplying and erecting the signs, including any traffic management required during construction and site supervision 

Work costs

The actual cost of the signing works, based on the quotation provided, is payable using the online application system before an order being placed with our signing contractor. 

Where co-ordinated, generic or symbolic signing is proposed, we will work with a single-named applicant. They will be expected to make online payments necessary to progress an application and pay for design and works costs.  It is for the applicant to make any arrangements to share those costs if there is more than one venue that will benefit from the signing. 

Without a full site investigation, it is difficult to provide accurate costing for the design, supply and erection of signs. Charges for one supplied and erected sign are, however, likely to range between: 

• a few hundreds of pounds for a small sign in an urban area 
• many thousands of pounds where signs are located on A and B-class roads with de-restricted speed limits 

Five year re-vetting 

All individually signed venues will be contacted using the online application process every five years to take part in a re-vetting exercise. This ensures compliance with current regulations. The process checks that venues are appropriately signed relevant to the nature of the facility or attraction being offered.  

Each re-vetting application shall be subject to a £100 re-vetting fee.  

This exercise is of benefit to the tourism industry and the general public because it has the potential to identify and remove from the highway network: 

• unauthorised signs 
• signs for venues which have been sold on and no longer meet the criteria  
• signs for attractions or facilities no longer operational

Signing that does not fulfil its intended purpose can have an adverse effect on the reputation of the tourism industry and highway authority responsible for maintaining signs. If no response is received after initial contact and automated reminders from the online system a final notification will be sent to advise that the signs will be placed on a list for removal. We will attempt to make contact one final time by checking online contact details. If we cannot make contact or the venue advises that they do not wish to take part in re-vetting, we will remove the signs when we are next carrying out work in the area. 

Traffic signs erected in the highway become the property of the highway authority. For roads in Lincolnshire we are usually the highway authority unless the signs are on a trunk road where it is National Highways. The highway authority is responsible for routine maintenance, including: 

• cleaning of the sign faces 
• tightening of fixings 

It does not include replacement or repair following: 

• theft
• damage or failure due to normal wear and tear

Where tourism signs are damaged in an accident, and vehicle details are captured, we will claim the cost of replacement through insurance companies. If this proves unsuccessful the applicant will be asked to meet the costs to provide a replacement sign. 

We reserve the right to change, amend or remove any signs erected. Any changes made to any sign without the consent of the highway authority, or its agent may result in removal of the sign. 

The closure of a venue or failure to continue to comply with the qualifying criteria will result in the removal of the signage. 

The timescale to determine if an attraction or facility is eligible depends on the amount of investigative and consultative work involved. Delays can happen due to difficulties in receiving responses at consultation stage. It is therefore suggested that early negotiations are undertaken by the applicant with the relevant parish council and written confirmation of support is obtained. It is a mandatory requirement of the online application process for the applicant to upload a letter of support from the parish council. 

If any consultee fails to respond following two reminder letters, the matter will be escalated to a higher level. 

The manufacture and erection of the signs can take ten to twelve weeks from the receipt of the applicant’s payment for the works. 

We reserve the right to change or amend this document, our policy, criteria, guidelines and charges. All charges are reviewed regularly and agreed upon with elected members before increases are implemented. 

All works are ordered through our term contractor. Current policies apply to health and safety and risk assessments.