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A billboard operator has won broad industry support for its bid to stop Auckland City Council axing more than 350 billboard sites in the central city and isthmus area.
The development of a united front was reported to the council's bylaws review hearing yesterday by APN Outdoor.
The company, which stands to lose 95 out of 119 billboards, returned to the hearing to go through the detail of its alternative bylaw with commissioners.
The firm is owned by the company that publishes the Herald.
Environmental lawyer Simon Berry said the economic impact of the council's plan was huge; the council's conservative estimate was 300 jobs lost while the company said it would be more than 400.
He said the company's suggested changes to the council's draft bylaw was designed to help meet the council's aims to remove visual clutter and dominance of signs and billboards.
But it also sought to preserve the rights of landowners and billboard operators to retain billboards that were lawfully established and registered under the 2001 bylaw.
The series of amendments was developed by planners Craig McGarr and Barry Rae and traffic engineer Brett Harries.
They suggested changes to the objectives, dispensation criteria and tightening of performance standards.
These were to operate with amendments to the council's proposed provisions for phasing out signs, which the company believed to be unlawful.
Mr Berry said the adoption of the company's amendments would eliminate the potential for numerous legal challenges and build on good work achieved during the previous 2001 review.
The company's alternative bylaw had been discussed with the Outdoor Advertising Association and was generally supported by all the major players as a reasonable, lawful and workable bylaw.
Oggi Advertising, which has taken the council to court in billboard disputes, said it supported the alternative bylaw as a more balanced response to the issues being addressed by the council in its review.
Managing director Gordon Frykberg said the billboard company was the party most affected by the council proposals, with 140 sites within the city.
Auckland Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett offered to help the council achieve a working relationship with the industry and business groups with the aim of getting a workable bylaw.
The chamber suggested deferring the hearing, which concludes today, to enable further consultation and constructive talks with the industry and those with a stake in signage.
This would aim to "design and establish a shared decision-making and administration process".
It suggested the council and industry develop educational and communication processes to get the co-operation of those earning revenue from billboards and the 60,000 businesses in the city who use signs.
Mr Barnett said the chamber supported the APN Outdoor recommendation to return to district plan control for signs instead of relying on a bylaw.
