Purpose of Brown Signage
Ards and North Down Borough Council is responsible for co-ordinating applications for tourism signage within the Borough, in conjunction with Tourism Northern Ireland and Department for Infrastructure Roads.
White-on-brown tourist signs constitute one part of the overall family of direction signs. The main purpose of tourist signs is to guide visitors to their desired destinations via the most appropriate route at the latter stages of their journey, particularly where destinations are hard to find. As with all other direction signs, tourist signs are an aid to safe and efficient navigation, to complement, but not replace, pre-planning of the journey and the use of navigational aids such as verbal instructions, maps, road atlases, websites, satellite navigation systems, and mobile phone applications.
Eligibility Criteria
For signage purposes, in Northern Ireland, tourist destinations are split into ‘facilities’ (Hotels; Guest houses; Caravan and camping parks; Picnic sites; Campus accommodation etc.) and ‘attractions’ (Attractions; Visitor centres; Zoos; Museums; Activity centres; Theatres/arts centres, gardens etc.)
Under existing policy and procedures guidance and on the basis that signs should only be provided for enterprises that are difficult to find, a tourist facility located on A or B class roads will not normally receive any tourist signing.
Tourist attractions (meeting certain criteria) may be sign posted from the nearest main road and in exceptional circumstances can also be signed from motorways.
If you are interested in applying for brown tourism signage, policy and procedures guidance including full eligibility criteria can be checked on the Tourism NI website here or please contact Council Officers to discuss.
Please note:
- Utilities i.e. places or services which are of use to tourists but would not constitute tourist attractions are NOT ELIGIBLE for tourist signage. Utilities would include shops, shopping centres, places to eat, art galleries, garden centres, ports facilities, beauty spa’s/parlours, conference centres, bars, and leisure utilities i.e. amusement arcades, soft play areas, escape rooms, bowling alleys and cinemas.
- The primary purpose of tourist signing is to assist in the management of traffic and to ensure the safe operation of the road network. It is not intended that signs be used as advertising for the tourist destination. Signing should not be permitted that will provide an advantage to one commercial enterprise at the expense of another. Find out more about the Tourist Signage Policy on the Tourism NI website.
- For signage relating to churches or theatres that DO NOT meet the Tourism Signage Policy or retail outlets, public buildings and transport etc which may be entitled to Black on White signage, you can check out the policy the Department for Infrastructure website here.
- Further Guidance Notes on Tourist Signing Applications can be found on the Tourism NI website here.
Application Process
An application form (available for download below) should be completed in full and submitted to:
The Tourism Development Team, Tourism Section, Ards and North Down Borough Council, Tower House, 34 Quay Street, Bangor BT20 5ED or email tourismdevelopment@ardsandnorthdown.gov.uk.
When assessing an application Council Officers will liaise with Tourism NI on the eligibility of your business and with DfI Roads in relation to the design, location, cost and extent of signing. (Please note that even where a business is considered eligible by Tourism NI, signage cannot be guaranteed. The final decision will be taken by DfI Roads, taking into consideration road safety and traffic management issues.)
The cost of any approved signage (supply and installation) must then be paid in advance by the applicant.
Guidance notes, including a summary of the process and downloadable application form, are available to download from the Tourism Northern Ireland website here.
Click here to download the Tourism NI Brown Signage Application Form
