Note: For the purposes of Policy P4/13, a 'shop' includes all ground floor premises located within the Town, District or Local Centres defined on the Proposals Map and individual shop units elsewhere (whether or not they currently have a facia sign and/or display window) including non-retail uses such as banks, buildings societies, estate agents (Use Class A2) and also cafes and restaurants (Use Class A3).

1. A shopfront should be designed to respect the scale, period, design and detail of the individual building of which it forms a part.

2. A proposed shopfront should be in harmony with the character and architecture of the wider centre within which it is located and in particular with any buildings with which it forms a group, for example a terrace of properties or an individual street.

3. Proposals for new shopfronts which would necessitate the removal of traditional shopfronts, or the removal or concealment of features of architectural or historic interest, including pilasters, facias, facia brackets, grilles, stall risers, decorated transoms, canopies and blinds will not be permitted.

4. In the case of a shop which extends to more than one building or facade in a terrace or group, the design of the shopfront should maintain the character of individual units, with some form of separation between features such as facia boards and windows. The identity of multiple units can be retained through a unified approach to colour, lettering, etc.

5. The facia should be of a scale and proportion relative to other elements of the building. It should not exceed the level of the first floor and should not overlap first floor windows or obscure architectural details such as string courses, cornices or brackets.

6. Proposals which involve the retention of original traditional facias or the removal of a more modern facia obscuring a traditional facia, will be permitted.

7. The information on the facia should generally state only the name and trade of the shop and the street number of the property. The facia should not be cluttered with other advertisements or duplication of information. Lettering should be clearly legible and in proper proportion to the size of the facia.

8. Illumination should be designed so it is not over dominant in the street scene.

9. New shop windows should respect the vertical or horizontal emphasis of the building, for example using vertical mullions to break up large stretches of glass and relate the shop windows to the proportions of the upper storey windows.

10. Shop doors should respect the design of the shopfront and windows, and the door and window frames should be of the same colour and material.

11. The shop door should be carefully positioned to respect the design and proportions of the building, including recessed doorways if appropriate, and also to be in sympathy with the character and design of other shopfronts in the vicinity.

12. Proposals should make use of natural materials, or materials appropriate to the period of the building or the shopfront design.

13. Stallrisers should respect the proportions of the shopfront. They should either be in painted timber panelling, render, ceramic tiles, or a facing brick to match that used on the building.

14. Proposals for the introduction of new canopies and blinds should be appropriate in scale, design and materials to the shopfront and building.

15. Retractable blinds are acceptable so long as they are capable of being retracted easily on a daily basis into a blind box which fits flush with the facia.

16. Fixed blinds and glossy or Dutch blinds are not appropriate. In cases where planning permission is required for proposals to change blinds, these should seek to reduce any adverse impact on the character and appearance of the building or area.

17. Blinds above ground floor level will not be permitted.

18. Blinds bearing advertisements other than the name and trade of the shop will not be permitted. The headroom below the lowest point of any blind or canopy should not normally be less than 2.3 metres.

19. Only one projecting or hanging sign will be permitted on each shop and this must be designed and positioned appropriately for the building, and must not obscure or damage architectural features or cause obstruction, annoyance or danger to passers-by or the adjoining shop.

20. Lettering on projecting and hanging signs should be limited to basic information relating to the shop and should be legible and uncluttered. The headroom below any projecting or hanging signs should not normally be less than 2.3 metres.

21. Security shutters will only be permitted where a special need can be demonstrated. In such circumstances lattice shutters of an appropriate colour will be preferred to solid roller shutters.

22. Shutter boxes, where permitted, should be hidden within the structure of the shopfront.

23. Shopfront proposals should meet the needs of those with restricted mobility as required under the terms of Policy P7/13.

All the general principles set out above will be applied with particular vigour in considering proposals for shopfronts on Listed Buildings or buildings within Conservation Areas. In addition the following principles apply specifically to historic buildings and areas:

24. Shopfront proposals for Listed Buildings and buildings within Conservation Areas must have particular regard to the special architectural or historic interest and character of the building and the area within which it is located.

25. Historical research should be undertaken where possible to enable new shopfronts to respect the historic design and proportions of the original shopfront for the building or the character of the street within which it is located.

26. Unless there is an exceptional justification, consent will not be granted for the removal of traditional shopfronts, or the removal or concealment of features of architectural or historic interest, including pilasters, facias, facia brackets, grilles, stall risers, traditional tiles and glass, decorated transoms, canopies and blinds.

27. Materials should be those which are traditional and appropriate to the period and design of the building or the area in which it is located.

28. Applications should provide detailed drawings of any joinery details, for example windows, pilasters, and facia boards. In special circumstances, the Local Planning Authority may require full scale laying out details to be provided.

29. Proposals which involve the removal of original facias will not be permitted. Where repair is essential, this should be to the same design and detailing as the original facia.

30. Facias should be of appropriate design and materials for the period of the building eg Georgian, Victorian, Art Deco. Glossy or reflective acrylic or plastic facia signs will not be permitted.

31. Colours used in facias should respect the character of the street, and particularly adjacent properties.

32. Lettering should be appropriate to the period and design of the shopfront, which will usually be hand painted or individually fixed lettering, but may be other traditional methods eg incised gilded lettering.

33. The form of any illumination should be carefully designed so that it does not detract from the character of the Listed Building or Conservation Area. Wholly internally illuminated facia box signs will not generally be acceptable unless this was an historic feature of the original shopfront. Acceptable forms of lighting could include halo lighting (where letters stand proud of the facia and are individually illuminated from behind) or discrete hooded spotlights.

34. Modern materials for doors and windows, such as PVCu and aluminium, will not generally be acceptable.

35. Door furniture, such as door knobs and letter boxes, should be carefully detailed to respect and enhance the overall visual quality of the shopfront.

36. In areas where stallrisers are a traditional feature in historic shopfronts, they should be incorporated in any new shopfront designs in appropriate materials.

37. Other than in exceptional circumstances, new illuminated projecting box signs will not be permitted. Proposals to replace existing signs should seek to reduce any adverse impact of the sign on the character and appearance of the building or area.

38. Traditional hanging signs should be carefully designed and positioned, and be appropriate to the style of the building. Signs should be either painted timber or metal. Where there is an existing original or traditional hanging sign bracket, it should be restored and reused for any new sign. The headroom below any projecting or hanging signs should not normally be less than 2.3 metres.

39. External shutters or security guards will not be permitted. Internal retractable meshes may be permitted in appropriate cases.