Signs placed on Haverhill roundabouts criticised after their sudden appearance
The sudden appearance of numerous ‘awful’ and ‘unappealing’ purple advertising signs on roundabouts in Haverhill has been criticised.
Most of the signs invite people to advertise and provide phone and website details to do so.
One sign, at the Withersfield Road roundabout near Bradnams Timber Merchants, advertises Heroes Maintenance and Home Improvement Service, a Cambridge-based business.
Haverhill town and district councillor Tony Brown said the signs had appeared with no notification to, or consultation with, the town council or local representatives. Meanwhile no planning applications had been seen, which he thinks should have been the case.
Cllr Brownsaid: “I think every one on the bypass has got signs on except the one near McDonalds, because that [the roundabout] is in Essex.
“The gateway from Bury St Edmunds, on the A143, has got one.
“Basically they put them on every single major roundabout in the town, these blasted signs, and it just looks awful.”
Cllr Brown believes Suffolk County Council (SCC), as the highways authority, has permitted the installation of the signs.
He continued: “Previously they had signs saying you could sponsor the roundabout. These [the new signs] are four or five times as big and are on poles and just make the place look seedy and untidy.
“The amount of effort residents and the town council have put into trying to make the town look nice and Suffolk County Council, which can’t fix the roads properly and cut the hedges back and keep their roads tidy, they’ve filled every roundabout in the town with signs.”
He added: “It looks like Suffolk County Council has introduced a policy to try to make some money by putting them on every roundabout.
“It’s not helping local businesses or the general ambience of the town. It just looks cluttered.”
County, district and town councillor Joe Mason said: “I’m entirely sympathetic to the frustrations of Cllr Brown and, indeed, residents.
“They [the signs] are not appealing. They are quite large and numerous on our roundabouts and they are not very pretty.”
A spokesperson for Suffolk County Council said: “A sponsorship company based in Suffolk manages roundabouts on behalf of Suffolk County Council.
“The purple marketing signs are temporary and are replaced with smaller advertisement signs once sponsorship is secured.
“These advertisement signs help to fund the maintenance of the roundabouts.
“Since the roundabouts are owned by Suffolk County Council, no consultation or planning permission is necessary.”
