Illegal adverts blight park beauty spots

Members of the North York Moors National Park Authority’s planning committee will meet later this week to discuss clamping down on the growth of unauthorised signs which officers say are spoiling scenic routes such as the A170 road from Helmsley to Sutton Bank and the A171 from Whitby to Charltons.

“The impact of signs and advertisements on the character and appearance of buildings, settlements and the wider landscape of the Park, can be considerable,” said Chris France, the authority’s director of planning, in a report to the committee which meets on Thursday to discuss an action plan.

Mr France said he recognised that for many businesses the signs are an important means of attracting and directing customers and they help to support the tourism economy but he said they need to be sensitive and sympathetically placed to protect the visual amenity of the park and ensure highway safety.

“There is a need for a more strategic approach,” said Mr France.

He is recommending members of the planning committee agree a five point action plan – to raise awareness of the park’s planning policy on advertisement signs, spelling out where signs could be supported, removing unauthorised signs or urging businesses to submit an application for retrospective planning permission, and taking legal action to remove them where owners fail to co-operate.

But Mr France warned the current level of unauthorised signs will involve a concerted effort to tackle the issue by the park’s enforcement team.