“It’s Crazy!” – Businessman’s Anger At Council Over Changing Sign Issue

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Tim Galvin with the sign outside his business on the Castlemaine Road. Photo by Dermot Crean

A TRALEE businessman is left frustrated and angry that he has been told to apply to Kerry County Council for planning permission to change the wording of a sign outside his premises, two years after making the alteration.

Tim Galvin of Gally’s Bar And Restaurant on the Castlemaine Road, changed the sign  from ‘Gally’s Bar And Restaurant’ to ‘ Gally’s Food All Day’ about two years ago, to try to pick up extra business after the opening of the Tralee bypass.

“The Council picked up on it in February of this year and sent me a letter,” said Tim, speaking to TraleeToday.ie on Tuesday morning. “I had a trailer next door here also advertising the business and they asked me to remove it, which I did straight away.”

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But the letter also mentioned the sign change and said he would have to apply for planning permission for the change of wording.

The previous Gally’s sign (pictured in 2011).

“For me to get planning permission for that, I’ll have to get an architect, an engineer, put ads in the newspaper and then pay the Council; you’re talking the bones of €1,000. It’s crazy!” said Tim.

“I’ve no problem paying something. The Council should have a system where I go over and pay €100 or something to change the sign, but they don’t have that. You have to go through all this process. It’s ridiculous,” he said.

Tim realises that the law is the law, but he says there should be some consideration for businesses trying to make a living.

“Things have been very hard, thankfully they’re picking up now, but it’s still hard out there for a lot of people. There’s great people over in Kerry County Council. They do great work in towns and villages throughout the county, but then this knocks it all back. It makes people angry,” he said.

“Eleven years ago I got planning permission here and since then I’ve paid the best part of €100,000 to the council for planning, signage, parking, footpaths, lighting, sewerage, rates, water etc. like all other businesses and then to be hit with this. It’s not right. The sign should say ‘Fool All Day’ not ‘Food All Day’,” he said.

Tim says his case is being opened in the Council on June 10 to see if he has applied for planning, which he hasn’t as yet.

“They’ll put an enforcement order on me and if I don’t follow up on that, it’ll go to court. At the moment, I’m not applying for planning permission. I’ve requested a meeting with the planning people to talk about a range of issues relating to signage. On the law side they’re right, I know that. But in the spirit of the law, they’re wrong. There should be a bit of common sense,” said Tim, who is awaiting a reply from the Council to his request for a meeting.