South Lakeland A board clampdown is 'witch hunt' say traders (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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South Lakeland A board clampdown is 'witch hunt' say traders
11:20am Thursday 2nd February 2012 in News
TRADERS defying a council ban on advertising boards outside their shops have branded the clampdown a ‘witch hunt’.
Kendal business owners face a £2,500 fine from South Lakeland District Council unless they remove A-boards which the authority say contravene planning rules.
This week dozens of letters were sent out to businesses from SLDC’s planning department threatening court action unless boards were removed within four days.
Outraged Geoff Waites, of Carlsons Fishing Tackle in Kirkland, said he would not be taking down his sign, which he said was ‘perfectly legal’. “I believe the council’s efforts and funds should be spent on more pressing matters and it should give up on its witch hunt to drive every business in Kendal out of the area,” he added.
The clampdown was agreed by councillors after director of charity Sight South Lakeland Carl Hodge claimed the boards were preventing visually-impaired people from getting around South Lakeland’s towns.
According to the Department of Communities’ guide to outdoor advertisements which the council has adopted, A-boards are only allowed on an enclosed shop forecourt. Jess Alston of Oakden Plumbing, Highgate, said: “Not having A-boards is not a solution, especially in such difficult economic times. They should have come up with an alternative to help traders if they don’t like them. They’re just hiding behind a blanket of legislation and it’s creating a lot of negativity towards the council,” she said.
South Lakeland district councillor Ben Berry said the authority needed to work with traders and disabled groups to come up with a better solution. “The council is within its rights to ask some people to remove their A-boards but not all are obstructive,” he said. “There has to be a way traders and disabled groups can get around the table and find a better solution, perhaps even looking at it case by case.”
An SLDC spokesperson said: “South Lakeland District Council is acting following several complaints from the public, including groups representing disabled people. It is the authority’s regulatory duty to enforce the laws regarding A boards.
“It is not our intention to stop businesses promoting themselves but they need to do so in a way that is lawful and does not have the potential to cause harm or disruption to pedestrians.”
Comments(33)
Cas220
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12:18pm Thu 2 Feb 12
can't_sleep
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12:59pm Thu 2 Feb 12
Lakeuk
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1:04pm Thu 2 Feb 12
Helvellyn55
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1:16pm Thu 2 Feb 12
Utterly selfish shop keepers.
tictoc1
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2:24pm Thu 2 Feb 12
james108
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7:13pm Thu 2 Feb 12
zaney5
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7:47pm Thu 2 Feb 12
james108 wrote:Get rid of all the feckin things, I'm sick of having to dodge them when all I'm doing is trying to walk down the road. If I want something from a particular shop I'll buy regardless of an a-board or not.
How can local businesses encourage trade without the use of A-boards? A-boards encourage people into local businesses to spend their money to help traders stay living and working in the area, without independent traders in town who would pay the staff who work for the council? We need to encourage people to shop in the town instead of sending them to out of town retail parks. The town looked sparse and boring today without the boards, it seems the council does not want to encourage or support local trade, shame on them
Desdan
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7:51pm Thu 2 Feb 12
JHT1978
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8:43pm Thu 2 Feb 12
JHT1978
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8:49pm Thu 2 Feb 12
Lakeuk
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11:27pm Thu 2 Feb 12
tictoc1
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9:12am Fri 3 Feb 12
Kendal town shops are rapidly loosing out to supermarkets and edge of town retail parks and it's such a shame. Kendal COULD be a lovely place again with the right guidance!
nixon1
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10:43am Fri 3 Feb 12
Have you ever heard someone say,
"ohh look at that A-board, im going to go and buy something from that shop now, while at the same time battling the recession and promote local business!"
Past Times was located in a prime location and didnt need an A-Board, i assume that closed as people are tight up with the recession and have no need to spend money on ornaments and the like.
Yes it is a shame to see shop sclose down but blaming the lack of A-Boards is crazy.
Business owners are breaking the law by illegal advertising on the public highway. At what point would we the public like to see SLDC step in? When someone has to step out onto the road to get around an A-Board and being injured/killed by a passing car. But what then? We would all be complaining that a death could have been avoided if SLDC had done something!
nickjohn
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11:17am Fri 3 Feb 12
nixon1 wrote:Well said.
I dont think we can blame the recession on the removal of A-boards.
Have you ever heard someone say,
"ohh look at that A-board, im going to go and buy something from that shop now, while at the same time battling the recession and promote local business!"
Past Times was located in a prime location and didnt need an A-Board, i assume that closed as people are tight up with the recession and have no need to spend money on ornaments and the like.
Yes it is a shame to see shop sclose down but blaming the lack of A-Boards is crazy.
Business owners are breaking the law by illegal advertising on the public highway. At what point would we the public like to see SLDC step in? When someone has to step out onto the road to get around an A-Board and being injured/killed by a passing car. But what then? We would all be complaining that a death could have been avoided if SLDC had done something!
Why do people say shops will close and loose business due to not having an A board.
Businesses survive and fail due to business planning and having a sound structure, I guess in a lot of instances its easier to blame someone else instead of accepting their business model is just not working....
People keep saying Kendal is dying and shops are closing they should wake up and smell the roses shops are closing all over the UK its called a recession, when people cut back on spending someone suffers and the first person to suffer is the shopkeeper selling items which can be cut back on.....
I have been involved in a number of businesses over the years and through 2 recessions and could write forever on why small businesses fail and IMO believe it is never because you have not got an A board.....
tictoc1
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12:12pm Fri 3 Feb 12
nickjohn
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12:20pm Fri 3 Feb 12
tictoc1 wrote:If your at the supermarket chances are your going to go inside and shop whatever the A board says..
If you have to walk in the road to pass an A board then yes there is a problem, clearly the A board must be very wide or pavement very narrow. If you shop at a supermarket, do you acknowledge the A boards at the front of the store? Have you seen the offers on them? Or what's highlighted in the local paper?
It would be interesting to see how many people have bought the local paper on the back of an A board news item, in the same way it would be interesting to see how many people have gone into a shop they had not planned on going into purely on the basis of an A board..
tictoc1
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12:26pm Fri 3 Feb 12
nickjohn
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12:38pm Fri 3 Feb 12
tictoc1 wrote:Fair point I stand corrected, some people do impulse buy from A Boards..
Ok, well I have. I needed a camping stove, the camping shop next to Iceland had an offer on. I only saw it, because I was walking past the A board that was advertising it. I bought what was on offer. At the weekend I went into Morrisons, I need "one" item, but, the offer that was advertised on the A board worked....I bought what was on it. I'm not saying that I buy everything on an A board, what I am trying to say is they are good ways of advertising...hence the name. Yes, some are a pain in the bum, but it's about getting shoppers buying from that shop.
All I am trying to get at it is that too many shops feel that A boards are a an intrinsic part of their business and feel without them their business will fail, I personally do not believe this is true, there are numerous ways to generate business over and above A Boards.
With regards to your camping stove purchase you say you only went into that particular shop due to its A board, does this not prove that they were not doing enough general marketing to make you aware that they were there in the first place and had camping items for sale.. If they had done surely you would have already planned to visit them when in town to see if they had a stove in stock..
tictoc1
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1:11pm Fri 3 Feb 12
Ambience
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1:23pm Fri 3 Feb 12
If Kendal businesses have been told to remove their A-boards, why haven't businesses in Kirkby Lonsdale been told to do the same? Perhaps some bright spark (if there is one) at SLDC could answer that question.
nickjohn
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1:52pm Fri 3 Feb 12
Ben Berry
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3:39pm Fri 3 Feb 12
Its understandable that hardworking businesses want to atract more customers, especially in this climate. A-boards are a way of achieving that, i certainly dont look through every window!
So the way forward is the Portfolio Holder, Cllr Ian Stewart, has listened to the business community and myself and understands the concerns and appreciates the alarm these letters have caused. Im hoping he will work with us, groups such as Sight South Lakeland and the wider community to find a responsible way forward that works for everyone.
The meeting has been organised next week.
Pringle1982
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5:36pm Fri 3 Feb 12
Last time the Shelter people were out I got stopped FIVE TIMES between Greggs and Thorntons!
They are much more annoying than any of the A Boards.
Thomas_
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6:12pm Fri 3 Feb 12
I think I'll go to Kirkby Lonsdale this weekend to look at the all the A-boards.
nickjohn
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7:26pm Fri 3 Feb 12
Pringle1982 wrote:Don't get me started on people asking for money..
Maybe now the A Boards are banned SLDC can do something about the number of people who approach us on a weekly basis asking for money.
Last time the Shelter people were out I got stopped FIVE TIMES between Greggs and Thorntons!
They are much more annoying than any of the A Boards.
I always used to give money to Big Issue people on the basis that they were getting off their a*** and buying the magazines with their own money then selling them to make a living..
That was until I read:
this woman makes more a year than some people I know......
nickjohn
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7:27pm Fri 3 Feb 12
http://www. dailymail. co. uk/news/article-2087
857/Romanian-Big-Iss
ue-seller-given-lega
l-right-claim-housin
g-benefit. html
Jeanie_Uss
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8:44pm Fri 3 Feb 12
nickjohn
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9:19pm Fri 3 Feb 12
Jeanie_Uss wrote:Have not seen that one what does it say....
Frankly A boards in Kendal have proliferated beyond all reason - is it reasonable to put the onus on the elderly, disabled and those pushing prams etc to manouevre the streets like a slalom run? Moreover the personal messages on the Bread Shop A Board do the owner of the establishment little credit.
Jeanie_Uss
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5:37pm Sat 4 Feb 12
Presumably they can afford to turn away business - thus the need for an "advertising" A board is no longer required ????
Jeanie_Uss
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6:34pm Sat 4 Feb 12
Pringle1982 wrote:I'm afraid I rather suprised one of the Shelter ladies... I could see them approaching me and in my head I shouted "NO! LEAVE ME ALONE!" unfortunately it wasn't only in my head and the poor woman jumped away...
Maybe now the A Boards are banned SLDC can do something about the number of people who approach us on a weekly basis asking for money.
Last time the Shelter people were out I got stopped FIVE TIMES between Greggs and Thorntons!
They are much more annoying than any of the A Boards.
I did feel a little remorse, however stalking me does not find me at my most charitable.
life cycle too
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8:53pm Sun 5 Feb 12
Pringle1982 wrote:...but do they form an obstacle to blind and partially sighted people? Simple annoyance has not been quoted as a reason to ditch the A boards!
Maybe now the A Boards are banned SLDC can do something about the number of people who approach us on a weekly basis asking for money.
Last time the Shelter people were out I got stopped FIVE TIMES between Greggs and Thorntons!
They are much more annoying than any of the A Boards.
In my limited experience of walking through Kendal, it wasn't A boards that were the worst obstacle, it was a few inconsiderate pedestrians, and mothers with prams whose sudden changes of course, or stopping to answer a phone call leave one having to take evasive action.
And don't get me started on umbrellas...!
hemyfan
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10:18pm Tue 7 Feb 12
gadgetgadget says...
11:47am Thu 2 Feb 12