Naas shop signs making town look like 'ghetto'
Parts of Naas "are getting destroyed" by low quality signs
An Independent Ireland councillor has said that an area of Naas town centre "is looking like a ghetto” due to unauthorised signage on shop fronts.
Speaking at the most recent meeting of Naas Municipal District, cllr Bill Clear said that the signs are of a low-quality and that the South Main Street end of town “is getting destroyed” due to them.
The councillor claimed that the signs are being imported from China and said that the owners of the businesses “have no regard for the look of the local Irish town”.
Cllr Clear went on to praise other businesses that operate on the street such as pub and eatery 33 South Main and Foxe’s shop as examples of businesses that fit into his vision for the appearance of local streets.
Cllr Clear went on to say that “if we let the county town go, it’s hard to get it back” and said that he wants legal action to be taken.
He brought forward a motion on the meeting agenda requesting that “that the council examines the significant unauthorised signage in the area of South Main Street, Naas with a view to enforcing the planning acts and signage policy of Kildare County Council.”
Cllr Anne Breen of the Labour Party expressed her support for the motion.
A report issued in response to the motion by senior executive officer in the planning department at Kildare County Council (KCC) Ger Maher said that the “the planning enforcement section does not have the resources required to conduct a full physical survey of all premises on South Main Street to assess compliance with the planning acts, associated Regulations, and Kildare County Council’s signage policy.”
The report continued: “However, any specific complaints regarding alleged non-compliance are investigated by the planning enforcement team. Where warranted, the statutory enforcement process including the issuing of warning letters and enforcement notices is initiated.”
A council official present at the meeting said that a file is opened as soon as a complaint is received.
The representative repeated the point from the report about the lack of resources.
They noted that there is currently three enforcement officers and 600 cases, and that the process takes time.
