A NEW guide aimed at helping town centre businesses improve the look and feel of Evesham has been produced.
The document is designed to help owners and managers make the best decisions when it comes to improving their street-facing commercial properties to enhance the visual appearance of the town.
Published by Evesham Place Board, the business guide highlights that the whole of the town centre is designated a conservation area – meaning that there are special policies in place to preserve its character and heritage.
It also promotes the fact that Evesham has more than 100 listed buildings, denoting structures with special architectural or historical interest which have added legal protection.
The document attempts to address the longstanding issue of shops that currently contravene planning policy with gaudy window vinyls, insensitive signage and inappropriate advertising.
It covers all of the common regulations that businesses need to work with when setting up or making changes to a shop front in a clear and easy-to-read format.
The idea is the brainchild of Wychavon Councillor Craig Reeves who co-opted the help of former town planner, Gill Pawson, of Vale of Evesham Civic Society to produce the guide.
He told the Observer: “We know parts of our town centre no longer reflect the character set out in our conservation policies and design guidance.
“We hear it in conversations on the street and read it in reviews, that the town feels like it has lost some of its identity and ‘isn’t what it once was’.
“Shopping habits, however, have shifted online and town centres must evolve. For Evesham, that evolution should be rooted in what makes the place special.
“It’s vital that existing businesses, property owners, and future investors recognise the value of character, embracing our heritage and working in harmony with the unique architecture and history that the town offers.
“The new business guide champions that heritage and character, and is designed as a digestible, practical resource for businesses old and new.
“It is one piece of a much larger jigsaw, a step toward in bolstering confidence in Evesham and supporting the long-term investment our town centre deserves.”
Gill Pawson has offered to sit down with any business owner who needs help understanding regulations relating to listed buildings and the conservation area.
“It is clear from the number of properties in the town centre which do not comply with the various regulations relating to the running of a business that this guide is long overdue,” she added.
Evesham Place Board will ensure that all 250 town centre businesses receive a hard copy of the publication.
In the meantime, see eveshamplaceboard.org.uk/projects/eveshamtowncentrebusinessguide1 to download an online copy.
More information about conservation areas in Wychavon can be found online here.
