NEIGHBOURS who complained signs at a new leisure store in York were “hideous” have been backed by planners.

A retrospective application for the controversial signs, which were installed outside Go Outdoors in Foss Bank, has been thrown out by City of York Council Council officials said the signs around the store would “create advertisement clutter, harmful to the visual amenity of the conservation area”.

Michael Slater, assistant director planning and sustainable development, said the illumination, size, design and siting of such prominent, large scale commercial signs would be unsympathetic to the design of the host building.

He also said a totem sign was an “inappropriately large directional sign for the site and its function, whose size, form, bulk and illumination detracts from the amenity of the area”.

He branded delivery signs unacceptable, due to their siting within the highway, with their size and number exacerbating the visual clutter on the site.

“As such, the proposal would have an adverse effect on the visual amenity of the central historic core conservation area,” he said.

People living near the store contacted The Press last month to criticise the “hideous eyesore” created by its bright blue signs. One resident claimed: “Its bright blue signs and paint utterly ruin the view in the area. It’s pretty intrusive for the local residents.”

GO Outdoors apologised then for any inconvenience caused and said it had taken on board residents’ requests and immediately turned off illuminated lights and taken down the totem sign.

It stressed it was committed to the local community, and had created 45 jobs and spent £1.4 million renovating the site which was previously derelict for four years.

A spokeswoman said the store had received a lot of support from local residents and businesses.

“We’re thrilled it’s been so well received and we want to ensure this support continues,” she said. “We are therefore meeting with planners next week to discuss the best way to display our signage.”

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: “A meeting has been arranged next week to discuss which signs would be acceptable on the site. Go Outdoors have so far removed the totem sign and switched off the illumination to others.”