By Belinda Nolan
BRIMBANK Council has denied Bunnings’ bid to erect more signage at its Sunshine store.
The council last week knocked back an application for a planning scheme amendment which would allow the hardware giant to display additional advertising on Ballarat Rd. Bunnings is proposing to extend and upgrade its warehouse floor area from 12,288 square metres to 15,747 square metres by making use of adjoining land.
The adjacent land is owned by Victoria University and is currently zoned as public land, prohibiting corporate advertising from being displayed at the site.
Bunnings had applied to the council for the amendment, which would allow it to display advertising panels of 10 square metres on the eastern part of the site. But the council last week rejected the application, amid concerns the proposed advertising would not meet its guidelines.
In recent weeks the council has been cracking down on rogue advertising in a bid to improve the appearance of the municipality.
The council has recently revised its Municipal Strategic Statement to address its concerns about problem advertising and provide guidelines for enforcement. The council believes that advertising needs to be managed to improve the appearance of the municipality and keep roadways safe and attractive.
Council officers have already begun impounding rogue advertising and has warned it will come down hard on those responsible.
The council’s city development general manager Stephen Sully said local laws and planning enforcement officers had collected more than 30 signs in the past month. Most of the signs were placed on electricity poles, bus shelters and road signs.
Anyone found to be erecting unauthorised signs could face a fine under council’s local laws or the Environment Protection Act.
