All inflatable advertising structures should be subject to planning permission requirements, members decided. The Minister for the Environment and Local Government, Mr Dempsey, accepted an Opposition amendment to include all such structures in the definition section of the recently introduced Planning and Development Bill.
Mr David Norris (Ind), who proposed the amendment on behalf of Independent colleague Dr Mary Henry and Labour members, said he welcomed the Minister's intention to introduce controls to deal with the visual pollution that resulted from the use of large balloons and kindred types of advertising. He said the definition should be expanded to encompass various forms of inflatables to regulate highly obtrusive forms of advertising. "You can see it in petrol stations with enormous tigers overwhelming the entire station, looking almost as if they are committing some kind of unspeakable act on the petrol pumps".
The Minister said he was prepared to extend the definition in the manner suggested. Balloons could be put to a great many uses for advertising. The amendment would give greater clarification to the measure.