COUNCILLORS have suggested that anyone living on Mars could look down on Earth at night and see the lights from the Westpark business park on the outskirts of Wellington beaming up at them.

Members of Wellington Town Council raised their eyebrows again on Monday (March 4) when faced with another planning application for a 23ft illuminated totem pole sign to be installed at the Wellington Service Station at Chelston.

They have previously said that at night time Westpark resembles something like Blackpool and Las Vegas with all its lit-up advertising boards and signs.

The Mayor, Cllr Marcus Barr, said that there were so many illuminated signs at the business park now that it was getting beyond the joke.

“You’d be able to see it if you were stood on Mars considering the amount of lights they’ve got there,” he quipped.

Cllr John Thorne said: “There are so many signs there now you can’t stop them.”

But Cllr Keith Wheatley disputed the suggestion by Cllr Thorne that this latest application was “only another one.”

“We don’t have to say ‘oh well – it’s only another one’,” he said. “The place already looks like the outskirts of Nashville – it’s horrible.

“KFC is on its way soon and no doubt they will be wanting to put up a 20ft statue of Colonel Sanders!”

The applicants, Motor Fuel Group Ltd, want to install the totem pole sign in order to promote it has electric vehicle charging facilities.

But Cllr Wheatley said that electric charging points at service stations would become the norm in the not too distant future.

Former Mayor, Cllr Mark Lithgow, said that electric vehicles these days were fitted with apps on their satellite-navigation systems which highlighted service stations which had charging facilities. “So why do you need a sign in the first place?” he asked.

Councillors acknowledged that Cllr Lithgow made a valid point and quickly voted in favour of objecting to the application – although a final decision rests with Somerset Council.

The planning committee later supported another application for a number of signs to be installed at what will be the KFC fast food drive-thru on Westpark.