Issue - items at meetings - Estate Agents Boards in Historic Areas

Report of the Director of Environment (copy attached).

1.     That the Cabinet Member approves that a proposal is made to the Government Office for the South East for a Regulation 7 Direction on residential properties within those conservation areas described in paragraph 7.2 and as illustrated in appendices 1 and 2.

2.     That the Cabinet Member notes that the proposal should have the effect of removing from the categories of deemed consent in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992, advertisements relating to the sale or letting of residential premises.

3.     That the Cabinet Member authorises the Director of Environment to carry out all further consultation required by statute and at the times prescribed.

4.     That the Cabinet Member approves that, in the remaining conservation areas, the existing voluntary agreement between the council and the Brighton & Hove Estate Agents Association (BHEAA) be reconfirmed; the effect of which will be to restrict the number of advertisement boards to one per property.

50.1       The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Environment concerning approval for a proposal to be made to the Government’s South East Regional Office (GOSE) in relation to the erection of residential for sale or to let boards within the city’s central conservation areas (for copy see minute book).

50.2       The Cabinet Member stated that the report recommended that estate agents boards displayed outside houses and flats in the central historic areas should be brought under planning control. The results of the consultation had been strongly in favour of more controls, particularly so in those streets with many houses in multi occupation; which reflected a generally held feeling that such boards were both unsightly and anachronistic. The Cabinet Member considered that a balance needed to be struck between commercial and amenity interests and added that he had been pleased to note from the report that the Brighton and Hove Estate Agents Association (BHEAA) were content with the recommended area of control, however, he had been made aware that there had been new developments and invited the Design & Conservation Team Manager to provide further details.

50.3       The Design & Conservation Team Manager stated that the BHEAA had now informed the Council that they were opposed to the proposal, calling it excessive. The BHEAA would support a regulation that only applied to listed buildings in a modest area of control and were considering making their own representations to GOSE. The Design & Conservation Team Manager added that if the recommendations were to be agreed, statutory consultation would ensue.

50.4       The Cabinet Member commented that despite the BHEAA’s new position, he was happy to take this proposal forward as it was in line with the wishes of residents of the city.

50.5       RESOLVED - That having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, the Cabinet Member accepted the following recommendations:

(1)       That a proposal be made to the Government Office for the South East for a Regulation 7 Direction on residential properties within those conservation areas described in paragraph 7.2 and as illustrated in appendices 1 and 2.

(2)       That the proposal should have the effect of removing from the categories of deemed consent in the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992, advertisements relating to the sale or letting of residential premises.

(3)       That the Director of Environment be authorised to carry out all further consultation required by statute and at the times prescribed.

(4)       That in the remaining conservation areas, the existing voluntary agreement between the council and the Brighton & Hove Estate Agents Association (BHEAA) be reconfirmed; the effect of which would be to restrict the number of advertisement boards to one per property.