A VAPE shop has been forced to change its appearance following reports from a member of the public.
Red Power Shop had installed unauthorised signage and internal shopfront lighting when it moved into the Grade II* listed building on Minster Street earlier this year.
Wiltshire Council was alerted about the changes and sent a conservation officer to investigate.
This officer gave the owner of the shop clear instructions about how they needed to amend the shopfront to fit within planning guidelines.
The owner then made the required changes to the shopfront without the council needing to resort to formal enforcement action.
Councillor Nick Botterill, cabinet member for development management and strategic planning, said:“Our clear message to anyone considering making changes to their shopfront, home or any other building in breach of planning regulations is don’t, because we will take firm action."
Cllr Botterill explained that the council is prepared to use all available powers to prevent planning breaches from happening, including enforcement action and prosecution.
“This case is a great example of positive work by our officers to work with a small business owner to resolve the situation quickly. They had a robust discussion with the owner about what they had done wrong and how they could resolve the issue – and the owner resolved the issues within the required timeframe to avoid any enforcement action," he added.
This comes after a Journal investigation that led to the seizure of more than 1,000 illegal vapes.
Red Power Shop, at 15 Minster Street, sold one of our reporters an illegally-sized vape and was raided by Trading Standards on November 10.
Read exclusive: Illegal vapes seized from Salisbury shops in Trading Standards raid
Cllr Botterill advised any shop owners who are planning to change the appearance of their building to contact the council first for advice, particularly when it is a listed building in a Conservation Area.
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