Shops in Spalding are being pressured to improve their frontage by the district council, but the authority is also being urged to ban the covering of shop front windows with transfers.
Due to pressure from South Holland District Council, buildings such as those owned by Co-Op, Ladbrokes, William Hill, Superdrug and Nasza Biedronka have been given a spruce up, its assistant director for strategic growth and development told last week’s meeting of Spalding Town Forum.
“Our planning team has been around looking at the condition of some of the properties within the town centre.
“We don’t have significant sums of money to do shop frontaing improvements schemes.
“What we do have are powers through the planning process to speak to property owners and convince, convey and cajole them to improve their properties.
“Quite quietly for the last 12 months or so our planning team has been making contact with owners and with an iron fist and a velvet glove we’re encouraging them to improve their shop fronts.
“Over the last 12 months we’re starting to see a lot of improvements as a result of that work.
“There’s other business owners we’re speaking to as well. We’re aware of several others that are planning to follow suit and make these investments.
“The council hasn’t spent any money, but by thinking how it uses its powers as a planning authority it’s been able to bring about some changes to the town centre.”
Coun James Le Sage urged planners to do more and potentially stop the practice of shop owners covering their front windows.
“Yes it looks better now it’s painted, but I still think we need to think about a town centre policy with regards to shop fronts and the amount of stickers they’re allowed to use in their windows.
“I know it’s been spoken about before.
“It’s important moving forward that shops are not allowed to completely blank out their front windows with transfers.”
It’s something Spalding Civic Society has campaigned for.
It had proposed the South East Lincolnshire local plan include a rule banning it locally, but was told it’s allowed under a 20-year-old rule on the Regulations for Control of Advertisements.
