Restaurant owner told to remove illuminated sign

Faruk Solak says his business needs a big, bold, eye-catching sign to fit the scale of the building

A restaurant owner has vowed to fight a council demand to remove an advertising sign, which planners claim is "not in keeping with a conservation area".

Faruk Solak, 28, opened the F&S Turkish restaurant on Broad Street, March, Cambridgeshire, 18 months ago, with the sign costing about £4,000.

He put in a retrospective planning application for the illuminated 10m (32ft) by 1m (3ft) sign, but it was turned down by four votes to two at a Fenland District Council (FDC) meeting.

A planning officer said: "The illuminated fascia sign appears dominant upon the principal elevation of the host building and conceals important architectural features."

Mr Solak said it was tough for shops and businesses these days without extra issues with councils.

"All we want to do is bring more people to the town," he said.

The council said the former NatWest bank building had "important" architectural features, which the sign now conceals

Mr Solak added that he had received no complaints from the public about the sign.

"The town is lovely, the people are great, other shops have bright lights outside, they don't seem to have problems, so we will try to keep it" he said.

He added that with inflation and the economic climate, he assumed the local council would be encouraging and helping businesses, instead of putting barriers up.

Harry Pluckrose, 19, said he thinks the F & S sign is "beautiful" and is "the best one in the town"

Harry Pluckrose is 19 and is a big fan of the F&S restaurant and its sign.

"Why would you want to take it down? Look around town, it has to be the best looking frontage in town, it is great marketing if you think about it," he said.

He added that he didn't think it was an issue that the sign covered what FDC described as "important architectural features, including ionic columns, pilasters and keystones".

Yvonne Payne says she thinks it is a ridiculous decision by FDC as the façade of the restaurant is "just lovely"

Yvonne Payne, 69, lives in March and has eaten at the F&S restaurant.

"The lighting outside is not too bright, but it brightens up the town centre at night time in a nice subtle sort of way," she said.

She added that if the all the other shops looked as good as F&S, it would be a "very pretty street to walk along and it would encourage people to visit".

Ms Payne also thought the building fitted in well with the new pedestrianised wider pavements that were completed last year following an £8.4m regeneration project.

Fenland District Council outlined its reasons for turning down the application, citing the sign's size and scale, in combination with other advertisements on the building, creating what it called "a cluttered frontage".

It went on to say that the sign failed to make a positive contribution and was considered to adversely impact on the street scene and character of the area - and failed to protect and enhance heritage assets.

It also added the building's location was a conservation area and that internally illuminated signs were not encouraged where you would normally expect to see more bespoke signage.