Robin Davies, in a letter published on April 7, claims that the people of Bath and visitors are not being heard on the issue of A-boards and street advertising. Mr Davies must have very acute hearing indeed, if he can hear the 'public outcry'.

To clarify matters on the level of public concern, I recently t contacted the council to make a Freedom of Information request. I asked for the number of notifications received by B&NES from the public relating to A- boards and similar obstructions of the footpath during the year February 2010 to February 2011.

From the level of outrage being expressed by one or two councillors, I would have thought that Council Connect had been hearing nothing else but complaints about A-boards, and I was expecting to be told that there had been hundreds. When the reply finally arrived: the answer was SEVEN. Yes, Mr Davies just seven complaints across the whole of B&NES for a whole year.

So, let's ask ourselves what the real agenda is. John Betty, the B&NES executive officer for Major Projects, told the Chronicle business breakfast on the March 16 that Bath was too dependent on retail and tourism and that he and the council would much prefer Bath to attract other corporate businesses and industries. Perhaps we were being told that although the highly successful combination of tourism and retail was in no way "broken"; the council was going to "fix it" for us, anyway?

Now, let's take a wider view. Eleven centuries ago, King Alfred of Wessex revived the old Roman town of Aquae Sulis as a major commercial centre called Baden or Bath. So, for 11 centuries these little streets have bustled with customers and traders, the latter hawking and advertising their wares in every way possible.

Mr Davies may compare the spectacle to a Middle Eastern bazaar but successful retailing has always been like that. And most people find bazaars fascinating: that's exactly how they stay in business, along with the towns that host them. And that is why so many tourists travel so far to see them and buy in them.

So if Mr Davies and certain members of the council have their way, what will we have in the centre of Bath? More than a 1,000 years of lively, retail commerce will be stifled and strangled with red tape, permit charges and prohibitions.

ALEX SCHLESINGER Small Business Focus, Bath

Pavements were created for the convenience and safety of the pedestrian, long before A-boards were thought of.

Of the letters you have published on this that of Mr Robin Davies had the greatest appeal. As for the letter of Mr Adrian Dolan, I am mystified by his comments. Amongst the many, I note two of these: "A-boards clearly identify that a business is open for business" and "the act of placing an A- board on the pavement requires someone to venture out to the pavement which is an act of ownership".

Is Mr Dolan seriously suggesting firstly that the public do not know that shops generally open at about 9am and close at about 5pm or later, and secondly that the pavement outside a shopkeepers premises belongs to that shop and not to the public?

Contrary to what Mr Dolan has written or implied, the council is not seeking to have a complete ban A- boards – much to my regret. The council is just seeking to bring some order, some uniformity, a raising of aesthetic standards and some restriction to the sizes of A-boards to the benefit of pedestrians.

All of this seems to me to be absolutely reasonable and should be to the benefit of our lovely city.

MALCOLM WARD Caroline Place Bath

As a resident of Bath I read with interest the recent article in the Chronicle by Robin Davies who made some sound arguments for greater advertisement control in the city, and I also welcome the council aim to control A-boards.

Although appreciating that advertisements can add vitality to an area there is a fine balance between vitality and visual clutter which detracts from the appearance of an area. The control of inappropriate advertisement should be of particular relevance to us all in Bath as it is a World Heritage Site, and I do not feel it unreasonable that we should expect a higher degree of control.

I appreciate commercial concerns need to have advertisements but I suggest it should be limited to the building itself, for example an attractive sign written name on the fascia of a shop front or within an attractive display in the window.

Advertisements in the form of A- boards are unnecessary and if put up without authorisation there should be an automatic fine. Furthermore unauthorised A-boards should be put in the back of a council truck and then stored at a local depot, the owner then given the opportunity to purchase them back from the council at an appropriate fee.

The culture of the A-board only results in more unsightly A boards. As each commercial concern tries to out do its neighbour this often results in larger and more signs appearing in the street.

The city council needs to take a strong line against inappropriate advertisement in this city whether it is in the form of A-boards, advertisement banners attached to railings, signs attached to buildings, or large illuminated information display boards, as otherwise the character of Bath will continue to be harmed and eroded.

J THOMPSON, Lansdown, Bath

I feel I have to make a few corrections to Lib Dem councillor Symonds' misconceptions on A- board licences.

The proposed new A-boards policy has been drawn up following significant demand by local residents for better control of A-boards on public rights of way. It was right and properly referred by Councillor Charles Gerrish (cabinet member) to the licensing committee on March, 28 which I chair, as part of the democratic process.

Every one of the five Conservative members present spoke against imposing a licensing scheme on A- boards which imposes a punitive fee; we felt that, whilst A-board use does need to be regulated, the licensing process was too onerous and would be detrimental to genuine traders. This scheme was subsequently dropped.

However, we all agreed that a comprehensive policy was necessary and should be enforced emphatically. This was agreed unanimously at the meeting which included two of Councillor Symonds' colleagues.

Maybe he should speak to them before quoting inaccuracies?

COUNCILLOR TIM WARREN Conservative (Licensing Chairman), Bath