To let signs in Southampton

Lib Dem initiative on the “Blight” of Southampton

Written by Abbie Chapman

The increasing number of too let signs in Southampton has become an issue for some of the people of Southampton, even causing the local Lib Dem Council members to stir. However Southampton is not the first city to be bothered by the same thing, Brighton and Leeds have already passed regulations under the Town and Country Planning Act that limit the use of signs.

Southampton as a City is largely populated by students, therefore there is a lot of moving about, and a lot of competition for different estate agents to advertise their houses. Especially when people are using all different estate agents on the same road, and classically one of the main ways of advertising if a house if for sale, is to put a huge “unsightly” sign in the front garden, or in the window... Or wherever you can find on the house that you can tie it up too. 

Because of the vicious nature of advertising, you’re not going to get any notice if your signs are dull and boring. So this require the brightest of colours to be used, mainly your primary colours. To make it stand out. This combination of things and the sheer amount of them that are in Southampton has caused people to take notice. There is no doubt that when you walk through a residential area in Southampton, especially areas popular with students, that there are shocking amount compared with other places in the country. Nearly one on every property.  Because of the the Liberal Democrats proposed an initiative that would be put into place in order to cut down the amount of to let signs that a real estate agency is aloud to use in order to advertise their properties. Which obviously they were not happy about, as it is one of their main forms of advertising. 

The motion was moved by Portswood Lib Dem Councilor Adrian Vinson, seconded by Swaythling Lib Dem councilor Maureen Turner.  They called for firmer action against what they call “the forest of to let, let by, for sale, sold by boards and window posters” the reasons they used to back up there notion, in addition to the most obvious reason that it makes the city “unsightly and reduces the attractiveness of our neighborhood” there were some more serious issues brought up that brought the safety of residents into play as well.  Lib Dem councillor Adrian Vinson said 

“They [the signs] can be a signal to burglars of vulnerable properties and exert pressure on students in particular to sign up to possibly inferior tenancies far earlier than they need. In some cases boards are displayed as early as October, when students have been in the city for only a month. There should be a period during which no 'student let' signs can be displayed.”

The amount of support and backing that this notion has had a huge impact on the way this is going to go. At the moment Adrian has a lot of support from all different types of people. From individual residents, residents association and students. 

I contacted Councilor Adrian Vinson and Maureen Turner and asked them what there viewpoint was on the fact that this is taking away one of the estate agents means of advertising. Councilor Maureen Turner had this to say on the matter:

“In the age of the internet, these boards are no longer a principal means of advertising properties to let or for sale. For the most part they are free advertising for lettings agencies rather than the properties themselves.”

Especially bearing in mind that some new students wouldn’t have even have visited the city before, let alone the residential areas so basically what they’re saying is that it is now becoming an unnecessary form of advertisement, because most people look directly through letting agents, or can just go on the internet and find a list of houses! It’s becoming a lot easier to find places without the signs. 

Despite the fact that the letting agencies are al obviously annoyed about the fact they have had one of there sources of advertising taken away for a few months of the year it, it seems that the large majority of people are happy to hear about this news. The unsightly signs will no longer be bothering the residents of Southampton all year round, well not in such vast numbers.