News

Plea For Local Estate Agents To Call A Truce

31st December 2007

Holywood Residents Association has expressed delight that the long running issue of Estate Agents Directional Signboards has already reached our new Assembly in the form of a written question from North Down MLA Councillor Alex Easton, as follows “To ask the Minister for Regional Development what plans he has to introduce additional legislation to prevent estate agents from erecting signs on lamp posts and telegraph poles”.

For many years our Association has toiled incessantly in an effort to encourage estate agents within the Borough to become more conscious of the significant damage they are doing to the environment when they attach their directional signage to numerous lamp posts, telegraph poles, D R D street signs, entrances to estates etc. These are placed at a distance away from the premises on offer for sale and are often left unattended (sometimes in a hazardous state) for months on end, and subsequently with their ‘SOLD’ stickers attached for up to a further three months, seemingly for free advertising purposes.

“Unfortunately, with only a few exceptions, these pleas have fallen on deaf ears” according to Mr Denis Ogborn, Secretary of the Holywood Residents Association who further commented “this has now become a major agenda item for each of our monthly Committee Meetings and we are not giving up. The good news just released is, however, that once again Holywood has achieved first place in the Best Kept Medium Sized Town Competition 2007 awarded by the N I Amenities Council, entitling us to go forward to the All Ireland Award Competition in 2008. It is therefore more imperative than ever that we all make what contribution we can to ensuring that our town is rid of illegal and unwanted posters and signage. Under the provisions of Article 87 of the Roads NI Order 1993 it is an offence for any person to display advertisements, signs etc., without lawful authority within the boundaries of a public road. I am aware that there are several prosecutions pending against a number of estate agents in N Ireland who continue to offend but I have to say it is disappointing that it has reached this level and would again appeal to local offenders for good sense to prevail”

Another member of the Association committee said “I can be fined £50 by Belfast City Council if I drop a cigarette butt or chewing gum on the pavements of our city, yet these agents can get off scot free with ruining our streets and roadways. At least the politicians remove their posters fairly quickly after elections but we have the scourge of estate agents’ directional signboards with us for twelve months of the year. This is not acceptable anymore and their actions have to be faced down”.

A local resident, Mrs Margaret Boyce of Ardmore Road, contrasted the “perceived unprofessionalism” of our local estate agents and their apparent non concern for the environment of North Down against the very commendable efforts of the local young people, mainly Holywood Underground based at St Philips & St James Church who, on their own initiative, have contributed in an outstanding way to the ‘Keep Holywood Tidy’ campaign. She said “we would normally expect the professionals to give us all a lead here, but shame on them. Heartiest congratulations however to the young folks; I do hope their good work is recognized and rewarded by the Council”.

It is in response to numerous calls from concerned local residents that the committee of Holywood Residents Association has agreed to take up this challenge once more and, this time, to see it through to an acceptable conclusion. Meanwhile, they advise individual residents not to take the matter into their own hands but rather allow the Association a little time to progress a number of avenues open to them. For instance, they have developed a new and meaningful relationship with the N Down Section of Roads Service in Bangor whereby the Association will compile a bi-monthly listing of directional signage, all in sequence, and e-mail it to Balloo Road to enable the Roads Service to quickly complete a ‘signs sweep’ of the area. Just a few weeks ago that listing comprised (unbelievably) some forty directional signboards in Holywood and, interestingly, today there are only two or three still in situ. Incidentally, the offenders are now invoiced and charged a levy of £50 per sign and the local Association claims that its lobbying was to some extent responsible for the recent increase from the previous paltry £15 charge. However, they feel it is unfortunate that this willful and very unnecessary activity throughout the Borough takes up so much valuable time of the local public servants.

The Association is currently compiling a file giving evidence of the problems that exist and some examples are:

1. Three ‘SOLD’ signs placed on one single property for almost three months after sale agreed.
2. A two-meter post including sign left lying on grass verge with three long nails protruding upwards in a location approx 100 meters from three local schools, presenting a significant hazard to schoolchildren and others.
3. Damaging rawlbolt holes left in attractive brick and concrete walls and also ugly cello tape and wrapping tape left blowing in the wind from lampposts.
4. Signs left hanging dangerously from telegraph poles and also left on pavements.
5. Signs attached directly to trees with nails left to rust, thereby creating environmental damage.
6. Signs erected on and environmentally impacting lovely green areas and also defacing wooden fencing along roadways.

Some questions the Residents Association would like to ask:

• Why is it at all necessary to erect more than one signboard in respect of a property for sale, especially when estate agents enjoy the luxury of splendid window advertising space on prime high street locations, not to mention the availability of vast on line and media advertising?
• Why do signs (and particularly directional ones) have to remain in place for up to three months after a sale has been agreed?
• Why do the erectors have to drill into lovely walls etc using ugly and damaging rawlbolts, afterwards leaving the brickwork mutilated?
• Are the estate agents prepared to co operate with the Association to set up a local central point of contact, if for no other reason than to aid better communication on these issues?
• Why cannot our local estate agents call a truce amongst themselves and agree in future to no more than one sign within the property boundary, with early removal after sale agreed?
• Is the Ombudsman for Estate Agents scheme operative in N Ireland? Are all agents required to sign up to it and to have a compulsory complaints system in place and to abide by the OEA professional code of practice?

Holywood Residents Association November 2007.

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