Politicians are to take estate agents to task over what they call “a forest” of For Sale and To Let boards.
Local media reports from Reading show that a Green Party councillor has raised the issue with the local authority, branding the glut of boards in part of the town “a nuisance.“
Councillor David McElroy says that part of the ward he represents - Redlands - is popular with students on short tenancies, leading to a high turnover and thus numerous To Let signs. As some landlords have been selling up, there has been an apparent rise in For Sale boards too.
McElroy says a voluntary agreement struck between the authority and local agents back in 2014, with the aim of reducing the number of boards, has to all intents and purposes lapsed.
Under the deal the boards do not require permission but need to comply with local rules saying they can only be erected at the property they relate to, with only one board is allowed per property, and that they should be removed within 14 days of a sale or let agreement.
McElroy says the failure of the voluntary deal means the council could instead apply for government permission to introduce so-called Article 7 Directions for the erection of new boards.
Normally For Sale and To Let boards are considered to have ‘deemed consent’ under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) legislation; however, if a council successfully wins Article 7 Direction powers from the government, it can demand that boards are subject to specific planning consent.
Another councillor in Reading - Labour’s Will Cross - claimed that in an audit he identified 70 For Sale and To Let signs in one area of the town.
Now the council has agreed that it will send letters to local agents reminding them of the original deal struck nine years ago - with the threat that it could apply for Article 7 Direction powers.
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Yes, this is the sort of priority stuff we want our politicians concentrating on.
While a large number of boards may be rather unsightly in certain areas, more generally boards are a reliable 'old-tech' way of raising an agency's profile and reinforcing its credibility within its market. Just stop to consider how many people are tempted to entertain the idea of moving by spotting a for sale board on a long-fancied property - they might not have been actively thinking about entering the property market, but a chance drive-by stimulates interest.
Get rid of them I say. They're a nuisance and agents still abuse the siting of them using lamp posts, road signs, council verges etc. Local authorities should issue 'no warning instant fines' for illegally erected signs too. £350 a board, watch 1000's come down.
In this age of the internet boards are simply free advertising for us with the original reason for them defunct. If agents obeyed the rules (Cllr McElroy doesn't seem to realise that his "special deal" is simply asking estate agents to obey the national rules which they should be obeying anyway) then this problem wouldn't keep raising its ugly head. It won't be long before there is blanket legislation to ban boards in Conservation Areas automatically and local authorities in other areas will follow suit.
Says a guy who does not sell houses PMSL
If you can see into the future could you tell me the lottery numbers for next week
I'm not sure whether you are referring to me or Peter, Jan. If it's me, then I do sell houses regularly (when I can find buyers!) and I am chair of a planning authority in the an area in which I do not practice and I can assure you that there is a growing consensus amongst local authorities, particularly those with sensitive conservation areas, that boards should be banned in their entirety. Not sure what PMSL means.
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