LIBERAL Party signage found to be in breach of City of Ballarat rules will be voted on by council on Wednesday’s meeting.
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In a report to be presented to the councillors, officers found the signs for candidates Ben Taylor, Craig Coltman and Louise Staley on their Humffray St office contributed to “excessive visual clutter”.
Council received 64 objections to the almost 35 square metres of signage after the retrospective planning application was lodged in July.
If the councillors support the officers’ report, the Liberal Party will have 14 days to remove the signs, although it is not certain whether getting the signage under the eight-square-metre limit would be sufficient, as the two bright colours (blue and yellow) were also raised as an issue.
Mayor John Phillips said some councillors would remove themselves from the vote because of a conflict of interest.
“The (councillors) that are senior management of the party, running for office (would not participate),” he said.
Cr Josh Morris is running for the Upper House seat of Western Victoria on the Liberal ticket and Cr Vicki Coltman is married to Wendouree candidate Mr Coltman so will not be part of the discussion.
Councillors Amy Johnson and Samantha McIntosh are members of the Liberal Party.
Buninyong candidate Ben Taylor said the signage had been organised by Liberal Party headquarters in Melbourne, and he was not involved in the planning process.
The report by council officers said permission should not be granted because the office failed on “visual amenity” grounds.
“The content of the principal panel signs could be considered not only repetitive, but also busy,” it stated.
“The use of two primary colours across the whole of each panel also conflicts with the guidelines.”