We are currently promoting the Neighbourhood Plan’s Shop Front Design Guide by distributing a flyer through the letterboxes of all town centre shops.

Promotion of the Guide, found under the ‘Plan Documents’ section of this website, has been prompted by recent cases of inappropriate changes to shopfronts and signage on our high street. Wiltshire Council, the Local Planning Authority, have taken effective enforcement action against several of these cases.

The purpose of promoting the Shop Front Design Guide is to help shop owners or tenants understand if, or when, they might need planning permission for changes to their shop front, or advertisement consent for changes to their shop signage, and then how this should be designed to be sympathetic with the host building and Chippenham Conservation Area (in which all town centre shops are located).

Do I Need Consent?

You will need planning permission for any alteration to your shopfront which would change the appearance of the premises. For example, installing or replacing windows, doors, shopfronts or roller shutters). You can apply for planning permission, or check whether this is required, at www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planning-advice

If the shop is part of a listed building, then you will also require listed building consent for any alterations inside or out. You can find out if your property is listed at: https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/

If the alterations to your shopfront include new or replacement signage you may need to apply for advertisement consent. The Advertisement Regulations are complicated but as a general rule:

– Illuminated signage will usually require advertisement consent

– Non-illuminated fascia and hanging signs on a shopfront may not require advertisement consent if the characters or symbols on the sign are less than 0.75 metre in height, the sign is located on the shop at ground floor height, and a single sign measures less than 1.55sqm in size

– Vinyl advertisements applied to the inside or outside of a shop window will usually require advertisement consent

For further types of signage, or to check whether advertisement consent is required, please refer to ‘Outdoor advertisements and signs: a guide for advertisers’: www.gov.uk/government/publications/outdoor-advertisements-and-signs-a-guide-for-advertisers

Changes to the shopfront, such as insertion of new windows and doors often requires building regulations approval. You can check whether this is required by contacting: www.wiltshire.gov.uk/planningbuilding-control-contact-us

Finally, always remember to check with the building owner that you have their consent to make any changes to the shopfront.