Leicester City Council is preparing to renew its powers to control the way landlords put up boards advertising their properties in some parts of the city, meaning they’ll need planing connect.
It’s almost five years since the city council applied a new ‘Regulation 7 Direction’ effectively banning the use of ‘To Let’ boards in the city’s Castle, Knighton, Saffron and Westcotes wards of the city, close to the University of Leicester and De Montfort University.
Failure to comply, could face court action and a fine of up to £2,500.
The existing legal direction is due to expire in July 2023, and the city council is planning to apply for its renewal.
Deputy city mayor Cllr Piara Singh Clair, said: “Prior to bringing these new powers into effect, many people who lived close to the universities were concerned about the almost permanent proliferation of ‘To Let’ boards on their streets.
“Since the direction was implemented, there has been a significant reduction in illegally displayed ‘To Let’ boards which has led to an improvement in the appearance of the affected areas. We don’t want to see the advertising boards becoming an eyesore in these areas again and hope to renew the legal powers which have helped us to successfully tackle the problem.”
