COUNCIL's signage policy will be reviewed in early 2016 following debate by councillors earlier this month over the use of flashing roadside signs in the shire.
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To address a development application (DA) request for such signage at two locations in Braemar, Darren Hogan represented Tony Ireland and asked councillors to demonstrate consistency on signage within the shire.
Based on the outcome of this DA, users of roadside message signs will now be required to submit a DA to council for the continued use of message signs.
Mr Hogan gave two examples of variable message signs recently used by council and said he was "confident council had not obtained any development consent" and one of which was "not even on privately owned land".
Mr Hogan said the council office report prepared regarding Mr Ireland's DA to use a such a sign on privately owned land in a Braemar industrial complex referred to driver distraction, "though it is some 50m from the Old Hume Highway".
"In my opinion this screams of hypocrisy," he said.
Mr Hogan said the proponent was willing to concede the sign used would not flash an alternating message "as a matter of compromise, in the interest of consistency and to address concerns of the RMS," but said a fixed sign was not an option as short-term signage was desired.
Councillor Duncan Gair said the signage code "didn't really cover" illuminated roadside signs.
"When the signage code was reviewed six years ago now or maybe a bit longer, these signage boards weren't in existence, really," he said.
"There's now a proliferation of them and I don't like them, and long term we don't want to encourage this sort of signage".
Councillor Holly Campbell said signage was a problem for the Highlands region and the issue needed to be looked at with a "very in-depth approach".
"We haven't even applied for our own signs," she said. "It's quite interesting that we don't have a DA for our own signage".
Cr Gair moved a motion to approve the DA as a 'static message sign' for six months and that an information session be held in early February to review council's signage provisions.
Councillors Jim Clark and Ian Scandrett voted against the motion, however, it passed with support from Crs Campbell, Graham McLaughlin, Garry Turland, John Uliana and Mayor Larry Whipper.
The motion also required council to write to known users of message signs and request they lodge a DA for temporary use of the signs until council's provisions were reviewed and adopted by council.
