If we’re prepared to yield and we see billboards emerge across the City of Vincent I think that it will really change the character and visual amenity of our area. – Emma Cole

THE longstanding “no billboards” policy has endured in Vincent with councillors knocking back a proposed 82sqm third-party advert at 12 Newcastle Street.

Only one councillor supported seeing a big billboard on the office building at Vincent’s September 15 meeting. 

Cr Joanne Fotakis said while she didn’t support their proliferation across Vincent, Newcastle Street was just metres from the border with billboard-friendly Perth counciul and it made sense to have transition areas.

But colleague Dan Loden disagreed: “The policy is clear. It is old, I acknowledge that… [but] I would still support that policy for the city and it does outline these are not allowed.”

Deputy mayor Susan Gontaszewski and mayor Emma Cole both said approving the Newcastle billboard could set a precedent which might lead to a run on the state administrative tribunal by others who’d had their applications knocked back. 

“It would potentially lead to aftermarket additions of large scale signs of top of existing buildings to display third-party advertising across the city, and I don’t accept that that is a benefit to the people who live here or who move through the city,” Cr Gontaszewski said.

Ms Cole worried how that would affect the look of the city.

“If we’re prepared to yield and we see billboards emerge across the City of Vincent I think that it will really change the character and visual amenity of our area,” she said.

Signs that advertise the attached business are allowed, just not those spruiking unrelated products.