AN off licence has been told it must tear down its shopfront signs after planners deemed their designs inappropriate.
City Centre Convenience Store had applied to Colchester Council for permission to install two fascia signs and a projecting illuminated sign outside the shop in High Street, Colchester.
The application was made in November and said the signs hadn't already been installed but pictures published by the Gazette in October show them in place.
Planning officers have now written to the shop’s bosses to refuse the plans after deeming them “unacceptable”.
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The decision notice says the proposed light-up sign would be harmful to the Grade I listed building and the conservation area because of its prominence, size, design, and illumination.
The proposals to install fascia signs at the front of the building, which would’ve included the shop’s name and what it sells, have also been thrown out because their design and positioning are unacceptable to the council.
“Together, the proposed signage would be an incongruous feature and would be harmful to the public visual amenity, especially to the setting of designated heritage assets,” the planning officer wrote.
“The proposed signs would also represent an excessive amount of signage that would result in visual clutter to the detriment of the character of the site and the surrounding conservation area.”
The planning authority has suggested alternatives it would consider approving.
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