Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Crackdown planned on Oban’s cluttered streets

Pedestrians walking on George Street, Oban have to avoid business advertising signs. Picture by Kevin McGlynn
Pedestrians walking on George Street, Oban have to avoid business advertising signs. Picture by Kevin McGlynn

A north council is having a crackdown on cluttered streets after it removed unauthorised signs and told businesses to get permission before they are put back out again.

Guidance issued by Argyll and Bute Council will see businesses in Oban have to seek permission and pay to advertise on the main street.

The local authority has deemed that clumsy A frames have a “detrimental impact” when they sit outside premises and on street corners, claiming they can also be a health and safety risk to pedestrians.

Last month, after A frame signs were removed by the council and taken to their yard, many businesses thought they had been stolen.

But the council reminded business owners yesterday that they must have permission to place advertising on the street.

In many cases this will also mean that business need to pay to display on-the-street advertising.

The news is a blow to businesses who are situated off the main thoroughfare.
Lorne Farquharson manager of the Lorne Bar, on Stevenson Street, said: “We need the signs to be out on the main street to let people know that we are here.

“People usually stay on the main street and don’t come out into the streets beyond.”

BID4Oban chief executive Andrew Spence said the issue had been concerning business in the town and was due to be discussed at a meeting with the local authority.

Mr Spence said: “BID4Oban are working with Argyll and Bute Council regarding alternatives to A Frame advertising etc and we will be feeding back to levy payers after our meeting on June 27.”

Argyll and Bute Council spokesman for planning and regulatory services, Councillor David Kinniburgh, said: “Signage, whether on a building or an A board on the street, comes under the control of the council.

“While some types of signage may not need permission, in many cases businesses will need to apply for planning consent or pavement licences before going ahead.

“The new signage policy can be viewed by logging on to the council website: www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/ldp”

Councillor Kinniburgh added: “The council can take enforcement action but this would be a last resort in cases where signs have a detrimental impact on road safety or pedest

But the council reminded business owners yesterday that they must have permission to place advertising on the street.

In many cases this will also mean that business need to pay to display on-the-street advertising.

The news is a blow to businesses who are situated off the main thoroughfare.
Lorne Farquharson manager of the Lorne Bar, on Stevenson Street, said: “We need the signs to be out on the main street to let people know that we are here.

“People usually stay on the main street and don’t come out into the streets beyond.”

BID4Oban chief executive Andrew Spence said the issue had been concerning business in the town and was due to be discussed at a meeting with the local authority.

Mr Spence said: “BID4Oban are working with Argyll and Bute Council regarding alternatives to A Frame advertising etc and we will be feeding back to levy payers after our meeting on June 27.”

Argyll and Bute Council spokesman for planning and regulatory services, Councillor David Kinniburgh, said: “Signage, whether on a building or an A board on the street, comes under the control of the council.

“While some types of signage may not need permission, in many cases businesses will need to apply for planning consent or pavement licences before going ahead.

“The new signage policy can be viewed by logging on to the council website: www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/ldp”

Councillor Kinniburgh added: “The council can take enforcement action but this would be a last resort in cases where signs have a detrimental impact on road safety or pedestrian access, or have a significant adverse impact on the character or appearance of an area.”