Letting boards regulation 7 direction
Newcastle City Council has fought back against the proliferation of ‘To Let’ boards that it says are ‘intrusive’ and ‘spoil popular areas’. From January 2015, landlords and lettings agents will need to apply for advertisement consent to install lettings boards. Court action and fines of up to £2,500 will then apply to boards that are not removed or do not have advertisement consent.
The move comes following a successful application to the Government for a regulation 7 direction which will apply in; Gosforth, Heaton, High West Jesmond, Jesmond, Sandyford, Shieldfield, South Gosforth and Spital Tongues.
Normally, letting boards are considered to have deemed consent under the Town and Country Planning (Control of Advertisements) Regulations. However, a regulation 7 direction removes this deemed consent for a specified area.
Cabinet member for Investment and Development, Cllr Ged Bell said: “The council has tried for a number of years to reduce the amount of lettings boards in certain areas of the city, even introducing a voluntary code for landlords.
“Residents tell us that too many boards spoil areas and negatively affect house prices, particularly in areas like Jesmond and Sandyford that often contain student households.
“We are very pleased the Planning Inspector agrees with us that we need more powers to take firmer action against landlords and letting agents who pepper our streets with these intrusive ‘to let’ boards.
“This Regulation 7 direction gives us the power to take enforcement action against a significant minority and address an issue which is a persistent concern for residents in some of our most densely populated neighbourhoods.
“We realise this is a big change for some local businesses, so we are giving them a three month window to get used to the new direction and remove any boards.”
Newcastle is the first big English city to successfully apply for a Regulation 7 direction requiring consent for lettings boards (although directions are in place in cities such as Nottingham to control the design of boards). It remains to be seen whether other cities will follow.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
Featured articles and news
C20 Society; Buildings at Risk List 2025
10 more buildings published with updates on the past decade of buildings featured.
Boiler Upgrade Scheme and certifications consultation
Summary of government consultation, closing 11 June 2025.
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
From project managers to rising stars, sustainability pioneers and more.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.
Mental health awareness week 13-18 May
The theme is communities, they can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and a sense purpose.
Mental health support on the rise but workers still struggling
CIOB Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025 shows.
Design and construction material libraries
Material, sample, product or detail libraries a key component of any architectural design practice.