Advertising signs are a mess

What on earth do visitors to the town or simply driving through Parkgate think to this awful ‘over the top’ display by businesses, whose principles should know better than to erect dozens of oversized and garish advertising signs, which are certainly detrimental to the visual amenity of the street scene?

Those businesses responsible must surely know that ‘Advertisement Consent’ is required from the local planning authority for the erection of such signs.

I have been told by the council’s planning department that due to lack of personnel and resources, they are unable to take any action against those responsible for the illegal signs.

Surprisingly, the council had sufficient personnel and resources to persistently harass and prosecute Mr Newey of Dalton when he displayed just one sign on the side of his house, yet it cannot take action to remove the hundreds of illegal signs which have appeared over recent years at Parkgate.

The council, as the local planning authority, have the power under sections 224 and 225 of the Town and Country Planning Act to take appropriate action to achieve removal of the offending signs and should do so without further delay.

David J Glasby, Worrygoose Lane, Rotherham