Plug Pulled On Illegal Advertisements

Council crackdown on hoardings that harm character of Chiswick

Illegal advertisements which have blighted an area of Chiswick for years have now been pulled down.

As part of a Borough wide crackdown, advertising company Outdoor Plus and landowner Cal Brown Ltd were both served with direct action notices by Hounslow Council.

The notice required the removal of a hoarding on the side wall of a house at 463 Chiswick High Road, adjacent to the Chiswick Roundabout by 1 August 2009. If this was ignored, it was made clear that the council would remove and destroy them.

As both the advertising company and landowner failed to comply within the given time, council officers were left with no option but to instruct contractors to remove the hoarding and reclaim the costs from the landowner.

Cllr Barbara Reid, the council’s executive member for environment, told ChiswickW4.com, "We cannot just give in to advertising companies and allow them to do what they want, where they want, without giving any thought to residents who might be affected by these adverts.

“No one is above the law and this is a victory for common sense. This case demonstrates that people and companies who think they can simply flout the planning regulations are making a very costly mistake, and we will not hesitate to take a tough stance, even if it means having to carry out works ourselves to improve the visual appearance of the borough."

Many landowners and advertisement companies have voluntarily removed their illegal advertisement hoardings, following numerous appeal victories by the council over the past 18 months.

The council say they are committed to removing advertisements that blight the borough and harm the character and appearance of local areas. This means that residents will see more illegal advertisements removed along the Great West Road, either voluntarily or by council contractors, in the future.

October 7, 2009