THE suggestion of a set of new advertising signs in the Pixon Lane area of Tavistock came under the spotlight during a meeting in the town recently.

The subject was sparked by a request from the King's Church, which asked the town council if a sign could be erected at the entrance of Pixon Lane carpark.

The request stated: 'As a church, whether you are a believer or not, we are a force for good for the community, offering a peaceful place to go and meet people, get advice, be it practical or spiritual, find out more about the Christian faith, and join in if one wants, with what you have to offer.'

King's stressed the church was not a commercial enterprise and it would be beneficial to it, and the community, to be advertised more prominently.

During a meeting of the council's properties committee, members heard that a previous request by King's had been turned down, because the church was not on council land.

Cllr Brian Trew, chairman of the committee, said: 'One thing I noted about this request was there were no fonts or colours mentioned — we could end up with something that's absolutely ghastly — this is just written on the back of a fag packet.'

Cllr John Sellis said: 'If we allow King's to put a sign there, there are other groups and businesses up there who could all want to put signs up. Personally, I am against it.'

Cllr Harry Smith said a line had to be drawn at some point, otherwise there would be 'a proliferation of signs'.

Cllr Debo Sellis said controlled signage could prove a community benefit in the area.

Cllr Mandy Govier said the matter should be treated 'very carefully'. She also suggested that advertising signs, similar to ones at the pannier market for which traders paid a small fee to the council, could be considered for the Pixon Lane area.

The committee agreed that the clerk should write to King's asking for more details regarding the proposed sign, while confirming this was not a guarantee the request would be approved.

Additionally, the church should be informed that other businesses in the area would be contacted to see if they were interested in paying for signage at the entrance to the Pixon Lane car park.