Leicester City Council
Shopfronts and shutters in Leicester
Leicester’s Local Plan approves a replacement shutter only if the curtain lets people see into the shop, and it puts numbers on how bright an illuminated sign may be.
- Planning authority
- Leicester City Council
- Planning system
- England
- Main document
- As published on the council website
- Status
- Local Plan policy
- Main retail streets
- Granby Street, Gallowtree Gate, Highcross
- Our repairs
- Inside our 100-mile repair radius
Leicester handles shopfronts in its Local Plan rather than a separate guide. Policy DQP08 covers shopfronts and security and DQP09 covers signs, and both apply across the city.
The signage section is unusually specific. It caps the luminance of internally lit signs by size and by how bright the surrounding district already is, which is the kind of figure most councils leave to officer judgement.
Shutters and security
New shopfronts and roller shutters are expected to be designed as part of the whole building, matched to it in quality and proportion.
Leicester Local Plan — chapter 8, Delivering design quality (Policies DQP08 and DQP09), Policy DQP08Replacement shopfronts and shutters will normally be approved only if they keep or improve the quality of what they replace, suit the building and street, are unobtrusive, have a suitable finish applied before installation — and the shutter curtain lets people see into the shop when it is down.
Leicester Local Plan — chapter 8, Delivering design quality (Policies DQP08 and DQP09), Policy DQP08 (a)–(e)
Signs and lighting
Internally illuminated signs are unlikely to be acceptable on listed buildings.
Leicester Local Plan — chapter 8, Delivering design quality (Policies DQP08 and DQP09), para 8.33Luminance limits for internally lit signs: up to 10 m², 800 cd/m² in medium-brightness areas and 1,000 cd/m² in high-brightness areas; over 10 m², 600 cd/m² in both.
Leicester Local Plan — chapter 8, Delivering design quality (Policies DQP08 and DQP09), Table 7Normally one projecting sign per frontage, and no fascia or projecting sign above first-floor windowsill level.
Leicester Local Plan — chapter 8, Delivering design quality (Policies DQP08 and DQP09), para 8.35
Sources
- Leicester Local Plan — chapter 8, Delivering design quality (Policies DQP08 and DQP09)As published on the council website · Local Plan policy · read on 9 October 2026
Policies change. Before you order anything, confirm with Leicester City Council — a pre-application enquiry gets you a written view on your drawings.