Truro coffee shop in battle with Cornwall Council over a neon sign

Truro, the Cornish city, is currently the centre of a dispute over a neon coffee shop sign which has left the owner feeling exasperated as he potentially faces a financial penalty and legal sanctions.

You could be forgiven that the proprietor of Café Traders, Andrew Ellery, has brazenly decided to erect the gaudy illuminative display on a whim without consulting his neighbours or the relevant local authorities. But the sign has hung inside his shop for more than a decade, and now action is being taken against it after a complaint was made to Cornwall Council.

What makes it even more bizarre is that the sign in question – that reads “Open, Espresso” – is situated inside the Coffee Traders coffee shop.

Correspondence sent to the café owner states that he will incur a daily charge of £250 for not removing the sign and could face a summons to the Truro Magistrates Court which could be accompanied by a maximum fine of £2,500.

“I’m being victimised,” Mr. Ellery said.

Cornwall Council say that the signs requires planning permission – which has not been granted – and therefore should be removed.

Marshall Plummer, a development manager for Cornwall Council, has commented on the case stating that: “an investigation of the complaint revealed that the signs at the premises do not have the appropriate planning consent and have been deemed to be harmful to the local amenity.”

“It’s put on at seven in the morning and turned off late afternoon or early evening, it is never left on at night,” Mr. Ellery responded whilst speaking to the local press.

The case has been shrouded in further mystery after it was revealed that a neighbouring shot in Victoria Square also has a neon sign in its window, but they have not received a removal notice.

With two big coffee chains nearby, the sign has been used to attract attention for twelve years. “I don’t know why it is a problem for them all of a sudden,” Mr. Ellery noted. “We rely on our loyal and valued customers who look out for the sign.”

And now the Council are trying to take it away.

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photo: Tom Genovese (publicdomainpictures.net)