In return for the privilege of being allowed pavement advertising boards, businesses in Perth and Kinross must act responsibly, councillors have told them.
Despite a plea on behalf of the disabled for an outright ban on A-frame advertising boards, which can be a hazard, members of the enterprise and infrastructure committee have allowed the practice to continue, with strict guidelines imposed.
Committee convener Councillor John Kellas said that it was a question of balancing the needs of the disabled against the requirements of businesses to promote their enterprises in very difficult economic conditions.
Gillian Edwards, of the Centre for Inclusive Living, said that people in wheelchairs, those who were visually impaired and even mothers with pushchairs found it hard to negotiate some A-frames placed on pavements,
Calling for a ban, she pointed out that wheelchair users had expressed concern about going into the town because of the problem.
Council roads manager Chic Haggart said that the issue “polarised opinions” and no clear-cut approach had been identified elsewhere in Scotland.
The committee, by 11 votes to two, approved the use of A-frames subject to stringent rules, which included a maximum size for the boards, leaving a minimum of 1.2m of unobstructed passage for footway users, and normally having only one sign per business.