Green party councillor wants to chop down this forest of signs
A GREEN party councillor is calling for action over what he says is a forest of nuisance estate agency signs across Reading.
While estate agents are able to use boards outside homes that are for sale or to let, it is felt that in some areas, with high resident turnover, these can turn into excessive numbers.
At a recent council meeting, Cllr David McElroy highlighted parts of his ward, Redlands in East Reading. The area is popular with students on short tenancies due to the University of Reading being close by, with a high number of signs in Erleigh Road, Addington Road, Blenheim Road and Cardigan Road.
Responding, Cllr Micky Leng (Labour, Whitley), lead councillor for planning, said a voluntary agreement between the council and estate agents could be reached, similar to one made back in 2014.
Cllr McElroy pointed out that the situation has declined since then, with Cllr Leng replying that estate agent permission to advertise ‘to let’ signs could be revoked by applying to the government for a ‘Regulation 7 Direction’ which would remove discretionary consent for such advertising.
The issue of the ‘forest’ of estate agent signs has also been raised by Cllr Will Cross (Labour, Redlands) who called the signage ‘a nuisance’.
He said he had conducted an audit, identifying 70 signs, and listed the agents involved and the addresses where they were located.
Cllr Leng praised Cllr Cross for his “Columbo style detective work”.
Letting and for sale adverts do not require permission, but need to comply with rules. Estate agency boards can only be erected at the property they relate to, and only one board is allowed per property (one each for flats and HMOs).
Boards must be removed within 14 days of a sale or let agreement.
Firms that do not comply with rules - including ‘managed by’ advertising - are unauthorised, and a criminal offence and must be removed.
Cllr Leng said that, following Cllr Cross’ investigation, officers will send letters reminding estate agencies of their duties in the original agreement made in 2014.
The area covered in the agreement runs from Alexandra Road to Lennox Road in Park ward.
If the council is unsatisfied that estate agents are not complying with the agreement, it can apply for the Regulation 7 Direction from the government.
The exchanges between Cllr McElroy and Cllr Leng took place at the full council meeting held on Tuesday, January 31.