Advert ban is ‘ripping the heart out of St Ives’
AWESTCOUNTRY seaside town has banned shops from putting merchandise and advertising boards on the pavement, dubbing them a safety hazard.
Councillors in St Ives in Cornwall have been accused of “ripping the heart out” of the resort, after introducing the public space protection order.
Shops which use the pavement outside their premises on Wharf Road, in front of the harbour, could be fined £100 under the new rules.
It means shopkeepers are no longer allowed to put their merchandise on pavements – or advertising boards.
The measure aims to “keep St Ives as St Ives” and avoid causing risk to tourists by overcrowding pavements, one councillor said.
But the byelaw, which came into place on April 1, has been criticised by shop owners who fear they will lose out on business.
Joanna Hatton, who owns three gift shops on the harbour front, said: “The people in charge don’t know anything about business. They just come around poking their pens at us.
“I pay £45,000 in business rates and employ 18 people. The shops aren’t viable without being able to put items outside.”
Joanna, 58, lives in St Ives and has worked at the family-owned shops since 1972. She puts wetsuits on racks outside her shop and has been ordered to place them sideways rather than lengthways to comply with the new byelaw.
Joanna said: “They’re ripping the heart out of St Ives. The council should do everything it can to help small businesses.”
The public spaces protection order, which was granted last October but was only recently implemented, applies to the following activities: The stationing of advertising boards or other structures being used as such; Soliciting or touting for business and the distribution of free literature; Loitering for the purposes of hair braiding or applying henna tattoos.
Town councillor Johnnie Wells, who supported the measures, acknowledged the difficulty in “keeping everyone happy”.
Cllr Wells said the byelaw was also about targeting advertising boards and said there were 84 in one area last summer. He told the BBC it was a “bit of a safety hazard when people have to walk around them”.
Cllr Wells said: “One shop puts one advertising board out – that’s not a problem. But then the next shop puts a board out and the first shop puts two out.
“Anything on the pavement means you have to walk around it – that causes a bottleneck and forces people onto the road. This rule isn’t there to stop people trading, it’s just to bring it under some regulation.
“We want to make it a pleasant place for people to work, visit and enjoy themselves.
“We want to keep St Ives as St Ives.”