New Welcome Signs Don't Impress Plymouth

The new welcome signs were unveiled this afternoon at two Plymouth locations.

Plymouth's the first in the country to use a new style of welcome sign, featuring a large full colour picture of a local, iconic landmark.

Costing one thousand pounds - the signs featuring Smeaton's Tower lighthouse against a backdrop of Plymouth Sound - have gone up at Deep Lane and at the Tamar Bridge at Saltash.

Those who came up with the idea say at such a small cost, it's a worthwhile investment.

Chair of Destination Plymouth, Duncan Currall told Heart the welcome signs will help create 2 thousand jobs over the next 7 years and generate a lot of wealth through tourism.  

But members of the public, who've seen the signs for the first time today have been underwhelmed, by the lack of imagination that's gone into their design.

The three-metre by four-metre signs say ''Welcome to Plymouth, Britain's Ocean City'' to reflect the city's updated branding, which aims to promote Plymouth's role as a major maritime city with global connections. They replace the Spirit of Discovery signs that were installed at the city boundaries around 20 years ago.