Starbucks sign on pole put up without permission

A Starbucks cafe and drive-thru has put up an illuminated sign on a 9-metre high (29.5ft) pole without planning permission, according to a local councillor.

A new branch of the coffee shop in Ben Rhydding, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, opened on Friday, with the totem sign outside.

The sign, which has the Starbucks logo and information about the cost of charging an electric vehicle, is directly opposite a row of terraced houses.

Plans for the sign had been removed from the planning application for the site, according to council documents, and Conservative councillor Andrew Loy said it was "completely unacceptable" that it had been installed.

The cafe is located on the main road into Ilkley from Leeds, on the corner of Wheatley Lane and Collyer View.

Loy said: "Thank you to the residents who contacted me about this, and those who submitted representations to the council.

"It is completely unacceptable that the signage was installed without permission, and I objected to this application.

"After discussions with the council, the owner omitted the 9m 'totem pole' from the scheme, so that does not have permission and will now need to be removed."

He said if it was not removed "promptly", he would be following the matter up with the planning enforcement department at the council.

A report by council planning officers said: "Following discussions with the agent for this application, the totem pole sign has since been omitted from the scheme and a new set of plans submitted for assessment.

"As the totem pole has been constructed on site prior to the determination of the application, this becomes a matter for an investigation though planning enforcement procedures."

Bradford Council and Starbucks have been contacted for comment.

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.