Sheet 02 · Planning by council
Shopfront rules, council by council
Councils genuinely differ on shopfronts — different documents, different conservation areas, different tolerance of shutters. Each page below is built from that council’s own published guidance, with every point referenced so you can check it.
| Council | External shutters, heritage settings | Main document | Our repairs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham Birmingham City Council | Not acceptable | Birmingham Design Guide — Healthy Living and Working Places City Manual September 2022 · Adopted supplementary planning document | Inside our radius |
| Bournemouth Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council | Not acceptable | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Shopfront Design Guide March 2026 · Council guidance | Installation only |
| Bradford City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council | Normally refused | Bradford Shopfront Design Guide SPD Adopted 5 March 2026 · Adopted supplementary planning document | Installation only |
| Brighton Brighton & Hove City Council | Not acceptable | Shop Front Design SPD Adopted 8 September 2005 · Adopted supplementary planning document | Installation only |
| Bristol Bristol City Council | Not acceptable | Bristol Local Plan Policy Advice Note No. 8 — Shopfront Guidelines Undated on its face · Council advice note | Inside our radius |
| Chester Cheshire West and Chester Council | Normally refused | Local Plan (Part Two) Land Allocations and Detailed Policies — Policy DM 16: Shopfronts As published · Local Plan policy | Inside our radius |
| Coventry Coventry City Council | Normally refused | Design Guidance on Shopfronts for Conservation Areas and Historic Buildings Adopted 26 June 2014 · Adopted supplementary planning document | Inside our radius |
| Derby Derby City Council | Normally refused | Derby City Council shopfront guide Draft – December 2008 · Draft — confirm its status with the council | Inside our radius |
| Edinburgh City of Edinburgh Council | Not acceptable | Guidance for Businesses January 2024 · Council guidance | Installation only |
| Gloucester Gloucester City Council | Named exceptions only | Shopfronts, Shutters & Signage — Design Guidelines for Gloucester (SPD) Adopted November 2017 · Adopted supplementary planning document | Inside our radius |
| Leeds Leeds City Council | Not acceptable | Shop front security design aid — Leeds City Council guidance note Undated · Council guidance | Installation only |
| Leicester Leicester City Council | Normally refused | Leicester Local Plan — chapter 8, Delivering design quality (Policies DQP08 and DQP09) As published on the council website · Local Plan policy | Inside our radius |
| Nottingham Nottingham City Council | Normally refused | Nottingham City Land and Planning Policies (Local Plan Part 2), Policy DE4: Shopfronts Adopted January 2020 · Local Plan policy | Inside our radius |
| Oxford Oxford City Council | Not acceptable | Shopfronts and Signage Technical Advice Note (TAN 10) July 2021 · Council guidance | Inside our radius |
| Plymouth Plymouth City Council | Normally refused | Development Guidelines Supplementary Planning Document, First Review Adopted May 2013 · Adopted supplementary planning document | Installation only |
| Reading Reading Borough Council | Not acceptable | Design Guide for Shopfronts SPD Adopted January 2022 · Adopted supplementary planning document | Installation only |
| Southampton Southampton City Council | Named exceptions only | Shopfronts in Conservation Areas — Advice Note September 2025 · Council advice note | Installation only |
| York City of York Council | Named exceptions only | City of York Local Plan 2017–2033 — Policies D12, D13, D14 Adopted 27 February 2025 · Local Plan policy | Installation only |
Why only these councils
A page here exists only where we could read the council’s current shopfront guidance on its own website and cite it. Where a council’s documents were unavailable to us, out of date beyond use, or silent on shopfronts, it does not get a page — a page that guesses at policy is worse than none.
That leaves out places we work in, including Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent and Cardiff. The frontage check still works for them: it tells you plainly that we hold no data for that council and what the national rules suggest.