Signs & Signage in West Sussex

Who decides on signs in West Sussex

West Sussex County Council sits above seven district and borough councils: Adur, Arun, Chichester, Crawley, Horsham, Mid Sussex and Worthing. Planning, including advertisement consent, is handled by the district rather than the county, so the council you deal with depends on the address of your premises. A unit in Littlehampton falls under Arun, a shop in Haywards Heath or Burgess Hill under Mid Sussex, and Shoreham-by-Sea under Adur.

Each of those councils publishes its own shopfront and advertisement guidance. Reading the one that covers your street before you fix on a design saves a redesign later, and it is one of the first things we look at when we plan a sign for you.

Conservation areas, Crawley and Horsham

Crawley has several conservation areas, including Queens Square and The Broadway, Gossops Green Neighbourhood Centre, Ifield Village and the High Street. Horsham town centre is a conservation area too, and several Article 4 directions apply around the town.

Inside areas like these, internally lit boxes, oversized projecting signs and glossy plastic fascias tend to draw objections. Painted timber, individual letters and small, well-aimed lights usually sit better with planners and with the street. Beyond the towns, parts of the South Downs National Park and the High Weald National Landscape lie within Sussex, and anything visible from that countryside is judged more strictly.

What West Sussex businesses tend to ask for

Crawley is home to the Manor Royal industrial estate and Gatwick Airport, so much of the demand around the town is practical rather than decorative. The coast brings a different set of problems, because salt air and wind shorten the life of cheap materials.

• Unit name boards, entrance totems and site maps for industrial estates
• Directional and safety signs for yards, car parks and loading bays
• Reception signs and frosted window film for offices
• Van lettering for trades working across the county
• Aluminium fascias and sealed lighting for seafront shops in Worthing, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton

Survey and fitting from Crawley

Because we are based in Crawley, a free site survey anywhere in West Sussex is a short trip. We measure the frontage, photograph it, check the wall or fascia for fixing points and note anything the council is likely to ask about. You then get free design with photo-realistic mock-ups showing the sign on your own building. Once you are happy, the sign is built in our own workshop and our own team installs it. Call the Gatwick Office on 01293 523360, Freephone 0800 454 613, or WhatsApp 07778 278 430.

Town centres and market towns

Chichester, East Grinstead and Horsham all have older centres where traditional signs suit the buildings, while Crawley's newer neighbourhood parades and Burgess Hill's shopping streets give more room for modern fascias and lit lettering. Haywards Heath sits somewhere between the two.

If you trade from more than one West Sussex town, it is worth agreeing one master design that can be adapted to each building: a painted version for a period frontage, a built-up version for a modern unit. Customers recognise the brand in both, and each site still suits its street.