The council was required to lodge a retrospective development application after Alderman Ivan Dean raised the issue twice in Launceston City Council meetings.

The sign has since been approved by Tasmanian Heritage on the condition that the text be static rather than moving.

"The sign was put in without the appropriate approval, and they did in fact need to submit a development application, but they did so retrospectively," Alderman Dean said.

"A situation we often criticise within council are retrospective applications, we should not have to take those measures, it shows a lack of planning."

He said he first noticed the sign during his judging of the Launceston Heritage Advisory Committee Awards.

The erection of the sign was brought into question due to the council's own guidelines for heritage listed properties in Launceston.

"It directly impacts on the nature of the building, which is heritage listed, and I would have thought that aldermen would have at least been consulted about it," Alderman Dean said.

"I was really worried and concerned because I don't know how it came to be there and it is out of place within the heritage listed property."

"It has now been approved by Tasmanian Heritage with some added recommendation."

Alderman Dean first raised the issue in a fortnightly council meeting on May17 when he was told the item would be taken on notice.

"How did this sign came into place as council has a policy as to electronic signs in Launceston? What process did this sign go through for establishment at the Albert Hall as this is a Heritage building?" he asked the council's general manager Robert Dobrzynski.

Alderman Dean asked at the meeting on July 12 why he had not received a response and was told the request had been overlooked and would again be taken on notice.

Since the sign's installation, Alderman Dean said he had received several comments about the sign, all of which had been negative.

"Other people have commented, I don't want to identify them but one person has said it is simply out of place and asked me, as an alderman how it came to be there," he said.

"I unfortunately couldn't tell them."