A COFFEE shop in Leigh Broadway is set to be forced to take down its shopfront after a last ditch attempt to keep it was thrown out.

Dash, located at the corner of Broadway West, has had an appeal to keep its shopfront, including awnings and moulded timber panels, dismissed by the planning inspector.

At the heart of the issue was whether Dash’s frontage would preserve or enhance the Leigh Conservation Area’s character.

The site is situated within a commercial area consisting of a variety of building designs from different periods, including a ground floor café.

The appeal site forms part of a significant 1930s Modern Movement style building, which curves round the prominent junction.

Matt Dent, Labour councillor responsible for culture, business, and tourism, said: “That will be standard process usually, there will be some level of enforcement.

“It is also possible that the coffee shop could put in an amended planning application to tweak it slightly which might address the concerns.

“But it being refused, and dismissed at appeal, the base position is to take it down. However, they can liaise with the planning officers at the council to see if there are comprises.”

The applicant pointed to several nearby shop fronts featuring an assortment of details, materials, and architectural facets, arguing for its position.

However, the planning inspector said the companion businesses lie outside the Conservation Area (CA) making them unsuitable comparisons.

The appellant also stressed that their design was intended to appear like a traditional timber shop front, an assertion the planning inspector did not concur with.

The council’s Design and Townscape Guide 2009 contributed to the ruling.

This guide highlights that shop fronts’ quality can shape the Conservation Areas’ unique character.

It strongly advises that replacement frontages should strive to prominently respect the area’s historic character while sympathetically incorporating or reinstating any original features where possible, utilising traditional materials.

The appeal was dismissed largely because the inspector believed the proposed shop front did not adhere to the guidance outlined in the Townscape Guide.

The planning inspector concluded that the proposed shop front neither preserved nor enhanced the Conservation Areas’ character.

Dash, in the Leigh Broadway, now faces the challenge of modifying its store front.

Dash were contacted for comment by the Echo, but did not respond.