Gloucester City Council
Shopfronts and shutters in Gloucester
Gloucester’s 2017 shopfront SPD ranks the options plainly: security glass and internal grilles yes, external grilles only in extreme cases, solid shutters not acceptable.
- Planning authority
- Gloucester City Council
- Planning system
- England
- Main document
- Adopted November 2017
- Status
- Adopted supplementary planning document
- Main retail streets
- Westgate Street, Southgate Street, Gloucester Quays
- Our repairs
- Inside our 100-mile repair radius
Gloucester adopted its Shopfronts, Shutters and Signage design guidelines as an SPD in November 2017, supporting Policy BE.11 of the 2002 Local Plan. The SPD records fourteen adopted conservation areas, covering most of the city centre.
The document is blunt in a useful way. It shows four photographs side by side — security glass, internal grille, external grille, solid shutter — and marks the last two as the wrong answers.
Shutters and security
- Security (laminated) glass
- Internal retractable grilles behind the window
- External grilles, extreme cases only
The council encourages security glass over grilles or shutters, especially for listed buildings and conservation areas.
Shopfronts, Shutters & Signage — Design Guidelines for Gloucester (SPD), section 5Internal grilles behind the window are the preferred method and will usually be permitted, subject to their design and colour.
Shopfronts, Shutters & Signage — Design Guidelines for Gloucester (SPD), section 5External grilles only in extreme circumstances: demountable or on a roller, box behind the fascia where possible (otherwise clad), operating within the shop opening without covering pilasters, columns or fascia.
Shopfronts, Shutters & Signage — Design Guidelines for Gloucester (SPD), section 5Grilles in a high-quality material such as brass, or powder-coated in a suitable colour — not raw aluminium.
Shopfronts, Shutters & Signage — Design Guidelines for Gloucester (SPD), section 5Solid shutters are not acceptable.
Shopfronts, Shutters & Signage — Design Guidelines for Gloucester (SPD), section 5
Sources
- Shopfronts, Shutters & Signage — Design Guidelines for Gloucester (SPD)Adopted November 2017 · Adopted supplementary planning document · read on 9 October 2026
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