Turkish barber is ordered to tear down ‘garish’ signal which is ‘harming’ character of medieval market city

A Turkish barber shop has been ordered to tear down its ‘garish’ shopfront over claims it is ‘harming the character’ of a medieval market town.

Karwan Ibrahimi, 27, runs Turkish Barber 2 in Morpeth, Northumberland. 

A neon orange sign has already been up on the shopfront for more than five years, but Mr Ibrahimi applied for advertisement consent in December.

However, town planners said the sign’s ‘unsympathetic design’ with ‘overly bold colours’ failed to ‘respect the established character’ of the site, which is surrounded by Grade II listed buildings.

They said the neon frontage was ‘visually intrusive and out of keeping’ with its historic surroundings in what is considered one of the North East’s prettiest towns.

The application also attracted 31 objections from local residents, who branded it ‘garish’ and an ‘eyesore’.

One resident suggested the sign belonged in ‘Las Vegas or Blackpool’.

Howard Bradwick, 59, said: ‘I’m all for supporting small businesses, but the sign makes it stand out like a sore thumb and would be more at home in Blackpool or Vegas.

‘We’ve noticed a few of these barbers popping up more in Morpeth in recent years and we don’t want to become one of those high streets full of Turkish barbers, charity shops and takeaways.’

Another resident Andy Rayner complained: ‘The current sign is a complete eyesore and not in keeping with the aesthetic of the town.’

Karen Charlton added: ‘The design is not sympathetic to the local character and does not contribute to the built environment.

‘Its neon lighting is garish, distracting and visually harms the ambience of the town centre.’

Tom Smith said in his objection: ‘The proposed sign is entirely out of keeping for the location. The lettering is too large and the colour too gaudy.’

Michael Blackburn added: ‘The huge 3D block lettering and bright colouring are insensitive to this historic setting.

‘It is, in my view, awful and completely out of character with the rest of the traditional shopfronts and modest hand-painted signage of the surrounding shops

‘If allowed this development could set a dangerous precedent, resulting in more similar applications, which would completely change the street scene.’

Mr Ibrahimi said he now faces having to tear down the sign and fears for the future of his business following the decision.

He added: ‘I have had no letters from the council to tell say it has been refused, so I do not know what to do next.

‘They have not communicated anything with me. They haven’t said what colour or what size is allowed.

‘If I go to the sign shop, what am I telling them? They haven’t told me anything and I am worried.

‘We need to attract customers to our shop. Times are already difficult with business rates and bills.

‘If the council told me what needed doing, I would do my best to accommodate their requests, because Morpeth is beautiful and we want to stay here.

‘Times are really hard, yet all we’ve had is problems with the council over our business. We are just trying to earn a living.

‘It had been up for more than five years as well, so why only a problem now?’

Turkish Barber 2 had also stressed the importance of signage for promoting the business in a statement issued earlier this year.

They said: ‘As a small local barber shop, clear and visible signage helps customers easily identify our premises – particularly those who are new to the area or passing through the town.

‘The sign supports footfall, promotes our services and ensures we can compete fairly with other businesses on the high street.

‘It’s a key part of how we attract customers and maintain the viability of the business.’

The Northumberland County Council planning report, recommending refusal, stated: ‘The signage is considered unacceptable due to its design, scale and visual impact on the surrounding area.

‘The sign, due to its unsympathetic design, use of overly bold colours, its overall size and proportions, and the additional visual impact arising from its illumination, collectively result in a visually intrusive form within the street scene and fails to respect the established character of the site and its surroundings.

‘The signage appears overly dominant within the streetscape and does not relate sensitively to the established form, proportions, or materials of surrounding area and listed buildings.

‘The concerns raised in the objections are noted and are considered to cause an unacceptable level of harm to the site and surrounding area.’

A Morpeth Town Council spokesperson added: ‘Whilst the town council welcome and are supportive of new businesses, we will continue to protect the historic nature of the town and the aesthetic within which in turn contributes towards a thriving high street.’

The final decision on the sign will rest with councillors at Northumberland County Council.