A COMMUNITY art group has slammed a council after bring forced to remove advertising banners in Rhos on Sea.
Denbighshire Art Society is holding its 70th summer exhibition in the village at its studio on Penrhos Road.
To advertise its location to passers-by on the promenade, the group hung two five ft by two ft banners in a bid to attract visitors. But, in line with strictly enforced legislation, Conwy County Borough Council informed the art society the banners must be removed immediately.
Carol Crankshaw, exhibition organiser, said: “Now nobody knows where we are! They were up for a week before we were asked to take them down. We had at least 30 people walking through the door each day - when it was taken down we had seven. People would walk down the prom and see the sign and think 'Ooh that looks nice - we should go'. The only thing getting people in now is a black and yellow sign that will remain there until August 8 when the exhibition closes.”
Ms Crankshaw said the group would need to apply to place the professionally printed banners in the future, but restrictions on locations and the complicated forms made the procedure confusing.
She added: “You are given a 12 page bumf which is just gobbledegook and if you get permission it takes eight weeks - so you've got to give it longer than that really. Then there's the issue of where can we put it.
“It’s a shame the council are so against it. The banners only bring people in to Rhos On Sea. Do they want a life where nobody does anything? It's such a shame. There are so many other events in Rhos On Sea and I know some of their signs have had to be taken down. We'll get no visitors and get no income coming in. It's just silly.”
According to council officials, the banners were causing “a clear highway safety problem” and had to be removed on safety grounds.
Paula Jones, Principal Planning Officer (Enforcement) said: “The banner was displayed close to a busy junction where Highway Officers have confirmed there is poor visibility; at one time this location was being considered as an accident cluster site. The banner also contained too much information and the lettering was too small.
“There have been a number of banners displayed at this location recently and on some occasions there have been up to four banners put up, increasing the level of distraction to motorists. The Authority had to act quickly to avoid any accidents and the action taken in this instance is appropriate and the Society have been advised to use the authority’s free planning enquiry service if they wish to display any advertisements in the future.
"If members of the public are unsure if their advert requires consent please contact Conwy’s Planning Services on (01492) 575247, with details of the specific location, size of the banner, the banner content, confirmation of whether the permission of the owner of the land has been obtained and details of how long the advertisement will be in place. "
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