ANDOVER'S cat cafe has been forced to remove its shopfront sign after a planning application was refused by Test Valley Borough Council.

As previously reported, Andover Catfe, in Winchester Street, received planning permission from the council on July 19, 2023, to display a sign made out of a painted wood board.

However, the application did not include permission for the sign to be made of another material, resulting in an 'inspection of the signage' from the council.

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After the inspection, the council concluded that the shopfront sign must be replaced or it would be removed completely. 

An application to keep the fascia sign, made of plastic, was submitted on August 19, as the owners of the cafe, Jack and his father Stuart Waue, didn't want to 'spend more to replace it'.

In a post made on Facebook, Andover Catfe said that whilst they 'concede that it's our own fault for specifying wood in our original application, it's still slightly annoying'.

Plans to retain the sign received support from residents, who said that the cafe 'should be allowed to keep the sign as it is'. 

Another said: "I strongly support the retention of the foamex sign as a member of the community and patron of the Catfe."

In the application, Mr Waue wrote: "Our proposed signage complements the area and simply highlights what is inside the building for potential visitors."

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However, despite the application receiving no objection from residents or Andover Town Council, the borough council refused the plans on September 30.

TVBC says they made the decision as the signage 'would have an adverse impact to the character and special interest of the listed building and conservation area'.

The building's ground floor is Grade II listed with a number of other properties in Winchester Street as it is part of a group of 19th-century terraced shops.

Andover Catfe shared that the sign has now been removed as a result of the refusal, and is calling for residents to share pictures of the shopfront to 'hopefully avoid any issues with people not being able to find us'.