The OWNER of a shop in Westcliff will have to rip out shutters installed without planning permission after losing an appeal against enforcement action.

The empty shop, in Hamlet Court Road, had two solid shutters installed on the listed building, designated as a heritage asset, without approved planning consent.

According to council documents, the shutters replaced previous ones which also did not have planning permission, and Southend Council first received a complaint in 2020.

A retrospective application in 2021 to keep the shutters was refused due to their design and scale which was found to be harmful to the character and appearance of the existing shopfront.

This decision was upheld at a subsequent appeal.

In September 2023, Southend Council's development control committee sanctioned enforcement action to remove them.

The owner appealed this decision again, and the planning inspector has now ruled in support of Southend Council's enforcement action, meaning the shutters will have to be removed.

Matt Dent, councillor responsible for business, culture, and tourism, said: "Protection of our heritage is something the council takes very seriously.

"Where a property has additional protections it is even more important that people make sure they have the necessary permissions for any changes they might be seeking to make.

"Otherwise developers risk the very enforcement action which will now take place in this case."

Planning officers previously stated that the the security benefits of the shutters “are not considered to outweigh the harm to the assets”

They added: "The development would, overall and on balance, harm the character and appearance of the host property, including its significance as a non-designated heritage asset and as a frontage of townscape merit, and the surrounding area.

“Solid or micro perforation shutters in particular, have a detrimental effect on townscape, creating ‘dead’ frontages, attracting graffiti and flyposting, and generally destroying the appearance of an area.

"When shut, solid shutters also prevent internal surveillance of the building. This type of shutter will not be considered acceptable.”

The planning inspector supported these reasons and agreed that the owner has three months to remove the shutters.