Dear Spurtle,
As a resident of Broughton, I am becoming increasingly dismayed by the preponderence of estate agents' To Let & For Sale signs across the New Town. They seem to be breeding!
Surely they only serve to provide advertising for the estate agents rather than for the properties that they are attached to! In my opinion, these days, every potential customer uses the Internet to search for suitable properties rather than stumbling across a board on a particular street.
Twenty years ago, I lived in Westminster, where – even then – the Council had banned the use of boards as part of the City's World Heritage status. Surely Edinburgh's New Town, with similar status, should be able to offer residents and visitors alike the opportunity to enjoy the streetscape free of advertising.
Would the Spurtle be able to lobby the Council or lead a campaign for them to be banned? I realise that estate agents would be opposed, but would anyone else?
Gareth Parry