Sadgebore District Council has been put in a difficult position following the revelation that they should have applied to themselves for planning permission to fly the flags which are dotted around Dullbridge and Smalltown.
The flags have been introduced in an attempt to entice residents and shoppers back into Sadgebore’s Town centres and so far have proved a success, with at least one person stopping to take photographs of them in situ.
SDC spokesperson Blair Stagg said “A resident has pointed out to us that under the UK Flag Flying laws we should have obtained permission to fly flags from flagpoles in our towns.”
The rules state that ‘Planning Permission must be gained to fly a flag on a flagpole projecting from any part of a building other than the roof (e.g. projecting from the side of the building)’.
“We have considered applying for retrospective planning permission from ourselves to continue to fly the flags, but by the time we get around to having a meeting to grant permission it will be time to remove the flags. UK Flag Rule No.94, subsection B49.94 states that flags must ‘Be properly maintained and kept in a safe condition’ and, due to the high winds often experienced in Smalltown, we don’t expect our flags to last very long.
So instead we have decided that from now on we will refer to the Fluttering Flags as ‘Pathetic Pennants’ – for which planning permission is not required.”