Gail’s coffee and bakery chain ordered to reinstate panelled door at listed building in Lewes high street

Gail’s Ltd applied to South Downs National Park to keep its new glaze-panelled doors at 11 High Street, a Grade II listed building.

The application (SDNP/24/03012/CND) was for the removal of condition 2 on the planning approvals SDNP/23/05395/FUL and SDNP/23/05399/LIS. This condition requires that ‘the original solid panelled door to the north-east elevation shall be re-instated in its original form’.

People can view the application at planningpublicaccess.southdowns.gov.uk.

Gail’s moved into the former NatWest site in March this year, getting planning and listed building consent for various exterior works. But their plans did not include removing the original timber door, which Gail’s removed and replaced with glass doors. After being ordered to reinstate the original door, Gail’s applied for planning permission to keep the replacements, which sparked many letters of objection.

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One person said the original door matched the building ‘perfectly’, adding: "The new door looks cheap and not in keeping with the style and prominence of the building.”

Another called the former bank ‘a key component of the townscape’ and one Lewes resident called the current glass doors ‘bland, generic and out of place’.

There was an objection letter from Lewes Town Council’s planning committee too, which said: “As a Planning Committee, we are mindful to protect the fabric of our town. We have a duty to ensure adherence to regulations and harmony in the way our streets/town look.” They said: “This committee strongly reject this application and is astonished that this is still on-going after so many months.”

Lewes Town Councillor (Lib Dem, Priory Ward) Kevin West also objected, saying: “This is a listed building and must retain its historic features.”

The decision document from South Downs National Park said: “It is considered that the proposals to remove condition 2 would negate the reinstatement of the external timber doors to the north-east corner elevation of the listed building.”

It said the design and appearance of the glazed doors would ‘lead to the loss of historic fabric, legibility, architectural identity, group value and detailing that is intrinsic to the historic character and special architectural interest of the listed building and its setting’.

After the refusal, councillor Imogen Makepeace, chair of Lewes Town Council’s planning committee said: “As a Town Council Planning Committee, we are the local voice of the town, and we welcome the South Downs National Park Authority’s decision to reject Gail’s application to remove historic doors on their building. Despite being a national chain it is important to respect the community by following the planning conditions of the area they are in.”

A cover letter for Gail’s application, written by Planning Potential, said the panelled door was only installed around 1984, when NatWest’s main entrance was relocated from the High Street to the northeastern corner.

It said: “Whilst arguably a positive contributor to the buildings overall appearance, the door did not form a part of the original structure or appearance of the building.”

The letter said the the door became ‘weathered, damaged and unfit for continued use’ in a commercial operation and said retentaing it would have been unsafe.

It continued: “With the commercial unit at 11 High Street now occupied by Gail’s (a café/bakery), there was a clear and obvious need to facilitate their operational requirements, namely by increasing the openness of the shopfront to showcase products and generate footfall.”

It said: “The change of panels from timber to glazing was sought to achieve balance, by increasing openness, whilst looking to ensure as minimal change to the overall appearance of the building, and sought to ensure that the door continued to maintain the historic rhythm of the shopfront.”