Councillors are divided over tackling the issue of ‘dangerous’ A boards in a bid to regenerate the town centre.

A working group of council members carried out a review of Weymouth Town Centre Conservation Area (WTCCA) after Cllr James Farquharson requested an investigation claiming the town was looking ‘shabby’.

At a meeting of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s scrutiny and performance committee on Thursday (15), it was decided that A-boards are one of the key issues that need to be confronted as part of aims to make shops look more attractive.

Cllr Cathy Page-Nash said: “Some of them are absolutely ridiculous in size.

“If you’ve got wheelchairs, pushchairs or mobility scooters, it can be difficult to get past. If you’ve got somebody who’s not well sighted, they can be dangerous.

“I thought to encourage people to use the town it should look more attractive, there should be good signage which I don’t feel we have.”

Cllr Tia Roos agreed, saying: “They’re a hazard in themselves.

“There’s poor enforcement by Dorset County Council. “If there’s nobody enforcing it it’s like a free for all.”

Cllr Page-Nash said the scheme should aim to restore the image of Weymouth as a historic Georgian town.

However, other members of the committee think A boards are a necessary part of owning a business in the town centre.

Cllr Ryan Hope said: “Some of them fit with the design of the shop, and some of them do look very tatty. I know someone that owns a business on Bond Street that says without their A board they would get no trade.

Cllr Jason Osborne agreed: “I understand that people find them annoying but they are a lifeline to businesses in the town centre.

“To get rid of A-boards would be a disaster for business growth in Weymouth, we need them. The only way we can get success is by marketing.”

The working group of council members included Cllrs Kate Wheller, Jon Orrell, Cathy Page-Nash and Claudia Moore.

They have proposed a bid for £200,000 is recommended to be submitted by the council’s management committee for investment in the WTCCA to secure the following five key improvements:

n Put forward a business case to secure funding from Historic England towards Conservation Area improvements;

n Provide a clear shopfront and advertisement design guide for the town centre to steer new development to protect local distinctiveness and quality of historic assets;

n Provide enforcement by removal of A boards in the town centre, monitoring of developments and use of Section 215 notices to secure maintenance and repairs of buildings;

n A Conservation Officer to Support the Heritage Champion for the town centre (promoted by the BID) and Town Centre Manager (with facelift improvements to the pedestrianised area);

n Manage any funding from Historic England and bid for grants from the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery, to spend on restoring some Council owned buildings as a positive example to encourage others to do the same.

Cllr Page-Nash also suggested that a new communal garden would be created ‘to get community spirit going’ in Weymouth, as part of the new scheme.