More cities consider To Let boards ban in student areas

Two more city councils are considering bans on To Let boards in student areas, hot on the heels of Leicester where last month its local authority asked the government for statutory powers to ban the boards outright. Leicester, like other cities hoping to restrict agent boards, is seeking a Regulation 7 Direction from the Secretary of State that would give it powers of control under the Town & Country Planning Act 2007. Both Durham in Northumberland and Belfast in Northern Ireland are now considering such bans following public complaints within both cities about the number of boards on display and the length of time they remain outside properties. In Durham local councillors are considering a ban within the city’s mainly student areas after the local MP and campaigners supported the move, despite a voluntary code of practice introduced in 2011. “Whilst the introduction of the voluntary code for letting boards has seen a significant improvement in the situation we are aware that there continues to be breaches in some areas by some agents,” Stuart Timmiss (pictured, left), Durham City Council’s head of planning and assets, told The Northern Echo. In Belfast its local authority today began a public consultation on…