Council staff are visiting Queenstown businesses with sandwich boards on footpaths and sign-written vehicles in prominent places advising them of new rules coming into force.
The rules are simpler, easier to understand, and in many instances have made it easier to obtain consent, as long as applicants comply with the underlying principles, the Queenstown Lakes District Council said today.
Of particular concern is sign-written vehicles and trailers parked in highly visible places for advertising purposes for hours or days at a time.
That kind of semi-permanent ad signage is prohibited under new rules in the District Plan, unless the owner can show that the vehicle is parked in public view for a legitimate reason, it said.
The council would also clamp down on sandwich boards and other footpath signs that are not on private land or are bigger than the rules allow.
The rules, which came into effect as part of Plan Change 48, balance the needs of businesses to advertise with protecting views, keeping the footpaths clear for pedestrians and avoiding visual clutter, it said.
