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Proposed ban on boards prompts call: Do we still need To Let boards?
Another council has been given the go ahead to ban To Let boards in part of a city – with government backing.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has told Lincoln council that it can ban the display of boards on certain streets, predominantly those in strong student accommodation areas.
The application for the ban came after the council considered the results of several consultations in what it describes as “problem areas” within the city.
Some residents allegedly claimed the boards were an unnecessary eyesore.
However, the figures involved are not large: a total of 134 consultation responses were received by the council, with 85 of those calling for a total ban on the boards.
The government has now given the directive to remove the deemed consent for using letting boards in certain areas of the city.
The council’s planning manager Kieron Manning says: “In recent years, the council has witnessed a significant increase in the number of complaints about the proliferation of To Let boards in certain parts of the city.
“Any letting sign should be a temporary feature but, when signs are left up too long in areas containing high numbers of rental properties, they can begin to dominate the street scene.
“We became aware that some signs were staying almost all-year-round and this was beginning to have a negative effect on the look and feel of our streets, so we decided to take pro-active action to solve the problem.
“We are very pleased that government has listened and agreed to allow us to implement the ban. We don’t expect this to have a negative impact on the city’s rental market as searches are now mostly done online, and people who are interested in moving to these particular areas will be able to find homes to rent very easily on the internet.
“In addition, they can also visit and call letting agents direct for an up-to-date overview of properties available.”
The proposal for a total ban will now go to the council’s executive committee for final approval before implementation of the directive can begin on April 8.
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Original Source: Letting Agent Today.
Original Author: Graham Norwood.
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