Vape Shop In Old Bank Could Be Told To Tear Down Shutters

A vape shop in a converted bank in a Victorian town’s conservation area faces having to tear down its roller shutters.

The owner of The Ministry of Vapes at 213 to 215 Duckworth Street, Darwen, has already installed the new frontage with advertisement signs for the business. But his backdated application for planning permission to keep the roller shutters on its windows has been refused.

A separate advertisement application to retain the ‘Ministry of Vapes’ signage incorporating a hanging and fascia sign to the frontage has yet to be decided.

Blackburn with Darwen Council has rejected the application to keep the roller shutters on the former Lloyds Bank building.

Its decision notice said: “The proposed roller shutters, by virtue of their design, siting and appearance result in an incongruous addition that are considered to be visually detrimental to the application site and wider area.

“Additionally, the roller shutters adversely affect the visual amenity of the Darwen Town Centre Conservation Area.”

But the shop owner is to appeal the decision to a government planning inspector and can keep the shutters while that is heard.

A planning officer’s report recommending refusal said: “The premises is a tall two-storey, double-fronted building with an ashlar frontage.

“The premises up until recently was a bank and has been converted into a commercial e-cig/vapes unit. The site lies within the primary shopping area within the Darwen Town Centre Conservation Area.

“Following intervention by Planning Enforcement colleagues, this application seeks to retain three external black solid roller shutters.

“Policy requires that the size, design and external appearance of development should harmonise with the existing building and should not unacceptably affect the character of the street.

“The shutters fail to integrate into the design of the frontage, relating unsympathetically in appearance to the architectural features of the premises.

“This is especially so of the shutter boxes which are designed to project circa 350 millimetres.

“The shutter boxes fronting Duckworth Street elevation are considered to be detrimental to the appearance of the shopfront and detract from the overall appearance of the frontage.

“The shutters are further considered to be detrimental to the street scene by the loss of a visually attractive shop within the conservation area outside of trading hours.

“The submission documents present photographs of neighbouring properties with similar style shutters as an example.

“These appear to have no planning permission, and the matter has been passed to enforcement colleagues to investigate further.”

Nazia Shah from the shop’s agent the Urban Future Planning Consultancy Ltd said: “The owner of the premises will be appealing the council’s decision.”

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