Barratt Homes fined £17,700 for putting up illegal signs
News release dated 3 November 2006 about the prosecution of Barratt Homes for putting up illegal signs.
Barratt Homes, one of Britain's largest and best-known house builders, has been successfully prosecuted for the third time by Reigate & Banstead Borough Council for putting up illegal signs in the borough, and fined £17,700.
"We will seek to gain the maximum penalty from the courts for this offence, especially from those that continue to flout the law." (Cllr Allen Kay, Executive Member for Environment)
The company pleaded guilty at Redhill Magistrates Court on Friday, 27 October 2006 to 13 charges of putting up unauthorised directional signs to one of their new housing developments.
The court fined Barratts £1,300 per offence, totalling £16,900, plus a further £800 towards the Council’s costs.
Twelve signs were erected in May and one in June along the A217 Brighton Road, Winkworth Road, Croydon Lane and Sutton Lane in Banstead, advertising the Barratts' ‘Reflections’ development in Wallington.
Cllr Allen Kay, Executive Member for Environment, said: "Our residents expect a clean and tidy borough and maintaining this is one of the Council's highest priorities.
"We operate a zero tolerance policy on fly posting and illegal signage. Our Neighbourhood Wardens check the borough to ensure it is free from fly posting and investigate instances reported to us. When we find those responsible for this antisocial behaviour we will enforce the law.
"Fly posting and illegal signs make the area look untidy and it costs the Council thousands of pounds a year to remove them, money that could be put to good use elsewhere in the community.
“This should serve as a warning to others that we will seek to gain the maximum penalty from the courts for this offence, especially from those that continue to flout the law."
The Council took Barratt Homes to court after the company failed to heed two previous convictions for the same offence, which came after numerous warnings about their illegal signage activities.
In October 2005, the company were fined £20,250 plus £750 costs at Redhill Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to 27 charges of putting up unauthorised signs advertising The Coppice and The Gables developments in Reigate.
In June 2004 they were fined £2,200 plus £100 costs by Dorking Magistrates after admitting 11 charges of illegal signage for developments in Earlswood and Lower Kingswood.
The signs erected by Barratt Homes were in contravention of Section 224 of The Town & Country Planning Act 1990 and The Town & Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations 1992. There are strict procedures to follow when erecting signage and the proper permissions must be obtained.
The fines from fly posting prosecutions go to the Government. The Council receives only the costs.
Reigate & Banstead Borough Council
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