Appeal to keep metal shutter on Kenilworth off-licence granted

Drinks 4U in Warwick Road wished to use a metal shutter for security purposes and applied for retrospective planning permission, which was refused by Warwick District Council’s planning committee.

In a statement, the council said: “The Kenilworth Design Guide identifies that in areas of high vandalism, external grilles may be acceptable, however, there has been no evidence presented to show that the site is located in such an area.

“The Kenilworth Design Guide also states that extensive use of external roller shutters appears overbearing and may promote anti-social behaviour.

“The roller shutters are considered to be out of keeping and inappropriate within the street scene.

“Approving the application would set an undesirable precedent which could lead to increased levels of crime and vandalism through a deadened street frontage.”

But after the shop’s appeal, planning inspector Alison Partington, claimed the Kenilworth Design Guide had ‘limited weight’ and agreed the off-licence needed a higher level of security than other shops.

She also said it would not set a precedent because each application should be judged on its own merit.

She added: “Although I accept that other forms of security measures could visually be more attractive, the need to provide an adequate level of security for the business outweighs the limited harm when the shutter is in use.”