The ad publicised a development to the south west of Cheltenham with ‘2, 3, 4 & 5 bedroom homes now available’ but added that ‘This development is coming soon. Register your interest today!’
A complaint was lodged against Redrow’s ad as it was understood that planning permission for the development had not yet been granted.
In its response, Redrow Homes provided a document prepared by Tewksbury, Cheltenham and Gloucester Borough Councils which it said detailed the land that had been allocated for residential development, with Redrow’s site within it.
Redrow admitted that the site did not have planning permission and believed that it would be finalised later in the year.
The ASA ruled that considering the developer did not have full planning permission, the claim: ‘This development is coming soon. Register your interest today!’ could be misinterpreted by consumers as meaning it had already been fully granted.
It said this information was also likely to impact on whether the consumer made a decision to register their interest, as well as considering the qualification ‘subject to planning’ was likely to contradict a customer’s overall impression of the ad.
Redrow Homes has been banned from publishing the ad again in its current form, and the ASA said it must ensure all future marketing communications do not misleadingly imply planning permission for their developments have been granted.
