A CBD business proprietor says the City of Greater Bendigo’s decision to issue a fine over signs on his windows is “heavy-handed overreach”, especially in the face of concerns around the state of retail in the precinct.
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The council has given Bendigo Camera House proprietor Matt Hourigan an $806 fine and orders to remove the signs that cover the Queen Street-facing windows of his shop.
City of Greater Bendigo manager statutory planning Ross Douglas said the ‘blanket signage’ did not meet council requirements.
Mr Douglas said such signage “limited a business’ ability to interact with the streetscape”.
“The City is working in many ways to provide for an active and vibrant CBD and the nature of the blanket signage proposed is counterproductive to that aim,” he said.
But Mr Hourigan said the council’s order was an unfair encroachment on his activities as a business owner.
Mr Hourigan said he understood the need for a signage policy to prevent displays that could be offensive or the like.
“But to have a signage policy that dictates what a business owner can do in running and promoting their business, I don’t think they have the right,” he said.
He said the council’s response was bureaucratic and did not take into account factors affecting retail businesses, especially in the CBD.
The CBD has been the subject of concern for some years, with Hargreaves Mall in particular experiencing high vacancy rates.
Mr Hourigan said it was earlier this year he was informed he needed a permit; prior to this, he said, he was not aware of the requirement.
He said he wrote to the relevant council department explaining his reasoning for the signage and applied for a permit, but it was rejected and he was issued the infringement notice and fine.
“They haven’t given me any opportunity to redress the situation,” Mr Hourigan said.
But Mr Douglas said required information was not given.
“The business owner made an application to rectify the problem, however it lapsed because information on how the signage met the planning scheme requirements and policies was not provided,” he said.
Mr Hourigan said he first put up the signs in August last year to cover the the display cabinets backed onto the windows after he rearranged his shop to increase floor space.
The signs were also put up with the intention of selling product, he said, and the store had experienced increased foot traffic since.
Other windows in the store, facing onto Abbott Arcade, display frames.
The council’s advertising and signage policy says one of the criteria against which applications for permits should be assessed is that business frontages with views into and from the shop should be “strongly encouraged”.
It also says graphics and advertising should cover less than 25 per cent of the window “facing the public realm”; additional coverage can be considered if there is a need for privacy.
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