Dingwall businesses condemn street sign ban

STRUGGLING traders in Dingwall accused Highland Council of heavy-handedness this week following a crackdown which has forced them to remove every sign from the town centre’s pavements.

Businesses have been told to take down all A-frame advertising boards from outside their premises – or face a £2,500 fine.

And one fish and chip shop owner has been told he must obtain public liability insurance of £5 million for a couple of tables and chairs outside his takeaway.

The council says the signs are obstructing pavements for pedestrians and wheelchair users and must be removed.

But traders and the local Business Association say the decision is killing custom and have called on the council to adopt a more common sense approach before Dingwall becomes a ghost town.

Guy Grant, who employs 15 full and part-time staff at Grant’s cafe deli in the High Street, said: "I put our sign flat against the building and measured it. It was protruding two inches but the council says that’s illegal.

"However, yesterday the council came to tell us they will not enforce it but they will take our sign away if we don’t. That is like saying we’re not going to punch you in the nose but it’s going to hurt your face anyway!"

The ban is also extended to the pedestrianised section of the High Street where the council has recently spent £1.5 million repaving in a bid to attract more shoppers.

Roberto Onesti, of Renato’s fish and chip bar in High Street, said: "I’ve had tables and chairs outside my shop for the past 10-15 years without incident but the council says I now need to put in place £5 million of public liability for them, as well as having to apply for a permit and rent the space outside.

"I could understand it if it was on a pavement which was 4ft wide and causing an obstruction, but there’s acres of space on the pedestrianised section.

"The signs, the stalls, the tables and chairs which businesses put out were all an attraction and gave the street a bit of a buzz. Now you look down the street and there’s nothing - not even a customer."

Angela Ramsay, who runs High Street florists Daisy Rue, said: "A letter arrived very abruptly from the council’s TEC Services telling us to remove the sign immediately or we could face a £2,500 fine.

"It seems crazy on the pedestrian section and it’s made the street look particularly deserted."

Jillian Jack, of hairdressers Scissor Sisters in Tulloch Street, said: "Our sign wasn’t in anybody’s way. We only opened six months so it’s really helpful for us to have a board to direct people to the shop."

Luke Humberstone, chairman of Dingwall Business Association, said: "This particular law has been in existence for 20 years but it’s never been enforced until now, which we find a bit curious.

"The council say the advertising boards are obstructive on the High Street - but what about the bins and planters on the street? I’m not for one minute suggesting we shouldn’t have those but there is an inconsistency in it, and for traders to face a fine of £2,500 is horrific.

"We strongly believe that this unreasonable enforcement is having a material impact on people’s businesses when it should not need to. The pedestrian section of the street looks terribly barren and the signs weren’t causing any obstruction there."

Mr Humberstone said the business association was due to meet Highland councillors on November 12, adding: "There is a strong feeling among traders that there must be a compromise.

"We want to know what the council can do because at the moment they seem to be saying ‘that’s the law’ and that is very unhelpful, to say the least."

Dingwall and Seaforth councillor Graham MacKenzie, who has taken up the issue on behalf of local businesses, told the North Star he believed the action was the result of a small number of complaints.

He added he felt it was " a bit heavy-handed" of the council but also recognised that if an official had to act on one complaint, then enforcement had to apply to every business.

"What we’re hoping to do is to see if there is any flexibility because it should not be beyond the wit of the council to come up with something that would allow them to advertise their businesses, which are struggling in many cases, and allow the public to make their way safely down the street."

* Do you have a view about the enforcement action taken by Highland Council against Dingwall businesses? Do you think the action was heavy-handed towards traders who are trying their best to offer and promote local services for the town? Or do you think the A-frame signs litter up the street to the danger of pedestrians and people with disabilities? You can leave your comments below.