Six years after Gdansk and Sopot, a landscape resolution also came into effect in Gdynia. Ad owners who failed to prepare in time could be penalized. The trouble is that the City itself did not prepare in time, as it has so far failed to set up a unit to inspect advertisements and impose fines.
Gdynia councilors adopted a landscape resolution only last August, although in Gdansk and Sopot provisions organizing advertising chaos have been in effect for six years. In addition, advertising arbitrariness was not curbed immediately - according to Gdynia's regulations, from October 12, 2023, the strict provisions apply to all new advertising, landscaping and fencing. But property owners and managers had until October 13 of this year to remove the older ones, present in the urban space before the resolution went into effect.
Landscape resolution in Gdynia. Penalties, but not for everyone
- Today we are past the adjustment period and can begin to unveil our Gdynia, unveiling the facades of beautiful modernist buildings, says Lukasz Kobus, the city secretary.
So far, banners disfiguring the facades of buildings have disappeared from, among others, the Batory shopping center and the Kwiatkowski shopping center. The city has inventoried a total of about 2,500 ads in the inner city. From now on, officials can summon the owners of non-compliant media to remove them from the city space.
A building on Constitution Square before the landscape resolution went into effect
Office of the City Planner
The fight for order, however, is proving more difficult than anticipated. The effectiveness of the resolution was undermined by a Constitutional Court ruling issued in December 2023. According to it, in the case where an investor installed an advertising installation before the landscape resolution came into effect (i.e., in Gdynia before October 12, 2023) and obtained all necessary permits, he can voluntarily adjust it to the terms of the resolution. Such a long delay in adopting the stipulations, therefore, hiccups the city. Unfortunately, the ruling issued by the tribunal has meant that in the near future the City has no plans to impose penalties on investors for failing to comply with the rules of the resolution in such cases.
The building at Constitution Square after the landscape resolution went into effect
Office of the City Planner
Fines will be imposed on those who installed banners after October 12, 2023, or who do not have the required documents and did not comply with the provisions of the resolution. How high?
In the case of an average advertisement, which is on the facade of a building and is usually about 100 sq. m., it is 1,464 zlotys and 80 cents, or nearly 1,500 for one day. The proceedings take about a month, and the fine is imposed from the time the proceedings are initiated until a decision is issued. If someone does not remove such an advertisement from the facade of his building for a month, he can expect a fine of 43,944 zlotys, according to Lukasz Kobus.
Landscape resolution in Gdynia. Need a cell for inspections and penalties
There is, however, another problem with the imposition of penalties. Despite such a long time to prepare, the City has so far not set up a unit to control advertising and impose fines. Ultimately, the powers are to be transferred to the Roads and Greenery Board; today these duties are in the hands of just two City Hall employees. So... another resolution is needed, transferring powers to the ZDiZ. The document will be voted on at the next session of the city council - at the end of October.
What does the Gdynia landscape resolution establish? Large-format advertising on buildings and free-standing billboards have been restricted in urban space. In Zone A, including the historic downtown, they are completely banned. In Zone B, although large billboards can appear, but under very strict conditions. The city has limited the maximum dimensions of advertisements there, moving them away from the intersection zone. The resolution also provides for regulating the distance between media and the distance of their location from buildings. For service buildings, it was established under what rules signs can be displayed. In addition, the adopted landscape resolution provides, among other things, for the unification of small architecture of public spaces, streets and squares in terms of style and design. It specifies the color scheme of certain elements of small architecture, maximum dimensions and even parcel standards.
Landscape resolutions have so far been adopted in Poland by 78 out of almost 2,500 municipalities.
