A York business owner fears he will have to shut up shop after the council ordered him to remove his sign.
City planners this week refused to grant retrospective planning permission for Norsemen York to display its sign above the shop doorway on Goodramgate.
It follows similar decisions where both the neighbouring Old York Tea Room and Happy Valley Chinese restaurant were ordered to remove their signage.
All three are in Lady Row, believed to be the oldest row of houses in York, dating from 1317.
But without the sign, Norsemen York owner Hussain Ahmed believes his business will go under.
The business has been operating since 2023, in what was previously home to Harlequin Antique Jewellery from 1985.
When Hussain moved into the site, he put his shop sign over the top of the previous businesses sign – so adding no new fixings to the ancient fronatge.
He then received a letter from the council saying he needed to apply for listed building consent, despite the original sign having been there for almost 40 years.
Hussain understands the historical significance of the Grade I listed building, but feels he’s been given no alternative solutions.
The sign is plain, black and white, and simple. “It doesn’t have any logos or anything to make it look fancy, I kept it as basic as possible as it goes with the story and history,” he told YorkMix.
He believes that without the sign, the shop is too low visibility to succeed in the “already declining city centre”.
“We don’t rely on repeat customers, it’s people who come by the shop, read the sign, and come in,” Hussain added.
The refusal has brought on a lot of stress for the business owner, and he feels he’s being pushed out of something he’s worked so hard on.
Hussain said, “I don’t understand how the sign wasn’t a problem from 1985 until 2023, I’m not saying I’m right or they’re wrong, I’m saying if this isn’t allowed, what am I allowed?
“I just want some help and support, I need alternative solutions. At the moment it’s just a guessing game on what’s allowed.”
Hussain says he has tried multiple times to reach out to the council for a face-to-face meeting to discuss his frustrations, but has so far had no luck.
He fears that without the clear guidelines and support he needs, it will ultimately result in the failure of the business.
“I want to contribute to society, into the country which gave me a chance, and the council is pushing me away from this.
“It feels like they’re pushing me into my only other option being universal credit, which I have never claimed in all my 16 years here. As a human being, I want to build myself,” Hussain added.
In the planning refusal, planning officers stated that “the design, materials and location of this signboard are at odds with the qualities of this rare row of historic buildings.
“The signboard has been attached to the jettied rendered elevation of this Grade I listed building and detracts from its exceptionally fine architectural and historic character and its setting within the Central Historic Core Conservation Area.”
Hussain plans to appeal the decision, but is concerned about the repercussions.
“It’s a big stress because there will be threats coming, and fines. I’m worrying about the old sign underneath now too.
“So this is why I need an answer, why there wasn’t a problem from 1985 till 2023 and it suddenly came to me as a problem,” he told YorkMix.
You can view the full planning documents here.