Barber shop faces closure over planning breach

Evan Swift will have to apply to retrospectively change the use of the building

A Derbyshire barber shop owner fears he will have to close after unknowingly breaching planning regulations.

Evan Swift, 32, opened Chop Shop 86 on the Acton Business Park, Long Eaton, in June 2023 but did so without applying to change the use of the building, which is designated for industrial employment.

Mr Swift admits the oversight was his fault but is now warning others that not checking regulations can "come back and bite you in the backside a year down the line".

The 32 year-old said: "Do your homework before you spend the money. I wouldn’t want anyone else to feel how I’m feeling and be in the mess I am in."

Evan Swift opened his barbershop in June 2023

Mr Swift said the idea to start his own barber shop came about after he was "abruptly let go" from a previous job and found the location of his shop within two days.

The site, a former commercial hydroponics shop, was empty and had been closed for "some time".

When Mr Swift, of Sawley, enquired about opening a barber shop in the unit, he was told to "go for it" and it "would be great for the area" by the individual who sub-let the property.

After this, Mr Swift thought he was allowed to open his dream shop straight away.

Mr Swift said he is now in more than £20,000 of debt, which was spent on getting the business up and running.

He said: "If we have to close, I don’t know what I’m going to do".

Mr Swift is now considering applying for a retrospective change of use application to the council, which he has been quoted £1,500 to be completed by a solicitor.

"Ask as many questions as you can because you don’t want to end up like me where everything can be taken away", said Mr Swift.

He added: "The average person won’t even know how to write a planning application, it is something I never learnt at school."

"I don’t really know what I’m going to do next, but I will tread very lightly, double check every step I make and really think about things before I jump ahead."

Mr Swift has been given three months to leave his barbershop in Long Eaton by the council

Mr Swift is worried that if he hands a change of use application to Erewash Borough Council, it will be turned down.

He has therefore set up a petition, which has more than 700 signatures, to show the council he has support to stay open and wants to "show everyone there is more to this place than what is seen on a piece of paper".

In response to the petition, Erewash Borough Council said: "The barber shop on Acton Business Park is operating without lawful planning consent.

"The council is taking appropriate action to address this issue."