Poor view of towns entrance
SIGNS around the entrance to an industrial estate give a bad impression to people using one of the main roads into Southwell, it has been claimed.
Drivers going into Southwell along Upton Road are faced by eight different signs as they approach Crew Lane Industrial Estate.
There are advertising boards on the pavement and signs outside units on Racecourse Road.
In addition there are temporary signs around the Southwell Court Care Centre development.
A town councillor, Mr Peter Pay, said one large sign should be used to advertise all the businesses on the site.
Mr Pay said the large number of different signs made the area look ugly and gave people the wrong impression when coming into the town.
“All business development on this eastern entrance to Southwell needs to reflect the quality of services they provide and be in keeping with the image of Southwell we all want to preserve.”
He said the signs could also cause confusion for drivers, especially if they were looking for a particular firm.
Mr Pay said confusion had also been caused by the name of the road the industrial estate was on — Racecourse Road.
He said there were reports of people going down Crew Lane to get to both the racecourse and the industrial estate.
The town council wants to rename Crew Lane as Crew Lane Close, with the entrance to Racecourse Road becoming Crew Lane.
The general manager at Southwell Racecourse, Mr Nathan Corden, said they were looking at designs for a sign and wanted to work with the businesses and the town council on the project.
The racecourse owns the land at the entrance to the industrial estate where it has its own sign.
“We would still want a prominent position to help attract business," said Mr Corden.
He said the racecourse had no objections to the road being renamed Crew Lane and for Racecourse Road to begin behind the new care home.
The directors of Smarts 4U Car Centre, Mr and Mrs Adrian Sparham, welcomed proposals for one comprehensive sign.
Mrs Susanne Sparham said it was important to have an advertising presence because they were off the beaten track.
The owner of Southwell Computer Centre, Mr Steve Wragge, said: "I am in favour of the sign but we need more than just a normal industrial estate list with unit numbers.
"We need a retail park-style sign — something that gives an advertising presence rather than a list or an index.”
Mr Wragge said his company had to spend a lot on advertising because few people knew where they were.
‘We have been here for three years but we still get people saying we didnt know you were here," he said.
“If we can make the place more appealing then it will have an affect. The area needs to feel inclusive of the town rather than a scruffy place where nobody goes."
