A business owner has been ordered to take down a 'modest' sign from his restaurant following a neighbour's complaint that they could see the sign from their front window.
Zenab Khan opened the Indian restaurant Kashmir in Rawtenstall, Lancashire 14 months ago. He spent a decent amount of money converting the building from a former pub, which had been deemed unviable in its current format.
Completing the renovation, he put up a sign on the stone wall at the side of the restaurant in Burnley Road which attracted complaints from a local resident. Rossendale Borough Council then informed Mr Khan that he required planning permission for the sign - something he had not been aware of, reports LancsLive.
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He duly submitted an application but was told this week that it had been refused and the sign must be removed, leaving Mr Khan perplexed. Neighbouring resident Lisa Blackshaw had complained to Rossendale Borough Council about the sign.
In her objection she wrote: "This sign first appeared (without permission) on the 5th August 2022. The sign is in our direct view when we look out of our front room windows and faces directly into our property.
"The sign is large and dominates the view from our window. It is also not in keeping with this residential area. After bringing it to the attention of planning, the business owners have only now submitted an application for Advertisement Consent (5 months after erecting)."
No objections were raised from anyone else, including highways and the gas network firm, but Rossendale Borough Council this week confirmed a decision had been made to refuse the application. Mr Khan described this as "scandalous" and has called on the council to support local businesses.
"The irony is that you can put much bigger signs up, by way of banners on the side of a building, which in my opinion would be unsightly but they have said I can't have this sign which I thought was in keeping with the area and modest," Mr Khan told LancsLive. "It's scandalous."
Mr Khan revealed that he has already faced one planning battle with the council over his proposal to convert the former Craven Heifer pub which he successfully appealed. He said he can't understand why the new sign hasn't been approved.
"I'm a local man and I'm trying to support the local economy. The sign wasn't obtrusive and I can't see why other businesses on the same road are allowed to advertise in similar ways but we aren't. We are simply trying to promote our business and make it a success. It's a very difficult climate at the moment, particularly over the last eight months, but we're trying our best."
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