2.3 Guidelines for changes to shopfronts

Shopfront surround

2.3.7 A new shopfront should not be designed in isolation from the rest of the building but in relation to the entire facade. Vertical elements should continue through the front of the building with columns or pilasters following through to the ground and framing the sides of the shopfront. This adds emphasis to the subdivision of a terrace into separate buildings units. If a shop occupies more than one unit, the shop front and fascia are often sub-divided with pilasters and ser.,0rate fascia signs, so that rhe individual buildings are emphasised.

2.3.8 Where the building form creates a surround, shopfronts should preferably be designed to fit within its parameters and not to extend beyond it. The surround between former individual units should not be removed if the shop occupies several buildings. If parts of t he surround are removed, the shopfront will no longer relate to the rest of the building's frontage.

2.3.9 Stone or wooden pilasters should be maintained and restored. They should be created in a manner sympathetic to the style of the building; they are normally painted timber, stone or render. They should not be clad, treated separately on each side of the party line, or cluttered with fixtures such i.lS signs, alarm boxes or blind fittings.

2.3.10 Within the ATC or on listed buildings the design and materials for the pilasters, capitals and cornice should relate to the architectural style of the building on which they are fitted. Decorative mouldings should be copied from an original nearby shop or an hi5torica\ pattern book.

2.3.11 In a terrace of properties an agreed general colour scheme between individual owners/traders, can greatly enhance the presentation of all the properties as a whole. Careful use of colour should apply to detailing, including the upper floors, to highlight the architectural features of the building. Drainpipes from the roo·f should not obscure such features. They should either be positioned away from decorative features, painted to match the background or if possible kept away from the frontage altogether.