Canterbury granted seven Toby Carvery signs at the Thanet Way restaurant on 6 August. The register shows no change of use was needed, and nobody objected.
Canterbury City Council has granted advertisement consent for Toby Carvery branding at the Long Reach Tavern on Thanet Way, Whitstable.
The decision was issued on 6 August 2026 under reference CA/26/01125. The application form on the council’s file names the applicant company as Toby Carvery, and the approved drawing, numbered 205095 Rev D, is a Toby Carvery signage scheme.
What was approved
The consent covers seven signs in total:
- one internally illuminated double-sided aluminium totem
- one internally illuminated aluminium car park sign
- four internally illuminated aluminium fascia signs
- one externally illuminated aluminium V-shaped post-mounted sign
The application was validated on 2 July and decided by a delegated officer, not by committee. A site notice was put up and letters went to neighbouring occupiers. The officer report records that no representations were received.
Kent County Council as highway authority raised no objection, subject to conditions. Those conditions ended up in the consent:
- no sign visible from the carriageway may be of a flashing type
- signs must give a minimum clearance of 2.6 metres above the footway or cycleway, and must not project within 0.6 metres of the carriageway edge
- luminance must stay within the limits in the Institution of Lighting Professionals’ guide PLG05, which for a sign of up to 10 sq m runs from 100 candelas per square metre in an intrinsically dark zone to 600 in a suburban or urban one
The officer concluded the signs “would relate acceptably to the surrounding area”, noting the site sits next to a retail park with a variety of illuminated signage already.
Why no planning permission was needed
Signs were the only consent required, and the planning history on the council’s file explains why.
In August 2024 the council confirmed, under reference CA/24/01013, that the lawful use of the premises is as a restaurant. A carvery is the same use, so no change of use application arises. The same file records outdoor seating approved in March 2023 and a timber pergola approved in September 2022.
The premises are the restaurant attached to the Premier Inn at CT5 3DB. The Food Standards Agency register lists the food business at that address as “Whitstable Premier Inn”, classed as a restaurant, cafe or canteen, rated 4 at its last inspection on 11 March 2025. Premier Inn’s own page for the hotel, at Thanet Way, Whitstable CT5 3DB, still refers to guests eating at “our on-site Premier Inn restaurant”.
What it means for you
Nothing on the council’s file gives an opening date, a menu, opening hours or a staffing figure. An advertisement consent grants the right to display signs; it does not commit anyone to a timetable.
What the record does establish is that the branding is approved and the paperwork is finished. The signs can go up whenever the operator chooses.
The site is on the same stretch of the A2990 as the proposed Lidl at Millstrood Road, which is a live application and a much bigger argument. If you want to check either, or anything else being built near you, our guide to Canterbury planning applications sets out how the register works.
Sources
- Canterbury City Council planning register, CA/26/01125: summary, dates, officer report, decision notice, application form and approved drawings
- Food Standards Agency, food hygiene rating for Whitstable Premier Inn, Long Reach Tavern, Thanet Way, Whitstable CT5 3DB, ratings.food.gov.uk
- Premier Inn, Whitstable hotel page
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