To consider the Supplementary Planning Document - Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage: Design Guidance for Tewkesbury and recommend it for the purposes of public consultation.  

1.           That the draft Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage Design Guidance for Tewkesbury Borough Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) be APPROVED FOR CONSULTATION PURPOSES.

2.           That authority be delegated to the Head of Development Services to make any necessary minor amendments, as considered appropriate, to the draft strategy prior to consultation.  

38.1          The report of the Head of Development Services, circulated at Pages No. 105-120, attached a Shopfront, Shutters and Signage Design Guidance for Tewkesbury Supplementary Planning Document. Members were asked to approve the draft document and to delegate authority to the Head of Development Services to make any necessary minor amendments as considered appropriate prior to consultation.

38.2          The Head of Development Services explained that, in response to the changing nature of shopping habits in the surrounding populations, the Borough’s historic retail areas were having to adapt and play to their strengths by maintaining and enhancing themselves as a distinctive and culturally rich shopping and leisure experience. It was recognised that the appearance of the Borough’s historic retail areas could be negatively impacted by unattractive and inappropriate shopfronts and associated signage and the purpose of the guide was to promote shopfront and signage design within the historic areas of the Borough as well as offering guidance to designers and applicants in submitting planning proposals. The intention was to promote good design practice without stifling planning innovation yet respecting the historic character of buildings and the areas.

38.3          A Member questioned whether the document could be applied retrospectively where the owner of a property was not respecting what the Council wanted.  In response, the Head of Development Services advised that this was where the design guide was really helpful as it ensured the Council’s own policies were not being undermined. The Member noted that, where people had aluminium shopfronts, the cost of changing them could be quite substantial so she questioned whether there would be grants or match funding available to help. The Head of Development Services indicated that a grant scheme would be launched shortly and there was a need to ensure interest was monitored so the grant funding was spread as widely as possible; however, there would be a requirement for shop owners to invest money as well. There may be some key shopfronts which could be given more funding to make a bigger impact but this needed to be considered. In September there would be an Officer at the ‘Regenerate the High Street’ event which was taking place at the Anglo-American Gardens in Tewkesbury town and it was intended that the Supplementary Planning Document - Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage: Design Guidance for Tewkesbury would be launched there; it would also be used in enforcement work in the High Streets, there would be additional publicity and it would be circulated through the Council’s Growth Hub contacts with businesses to help get the message out.

38.4          Accordingly, it was