The Fascia

(a) The fascia should be the label to the shop, and the goods on display the main attraction. In some modern designs the fascia is so large that it obscures other features on the building, perhaps even part of the window to the upper floor. It therefore becomes the dominant element of the shop, upsetting the unity of the street scene and is detrimental to the building onto which it is installed. New fascias should therefore relate in scale and character to the building.

(b) The depth of the fascia should not exceed 750mm and should preferably be more shallow. The main lettering should normally not exceed 300mm in height, though this will be dependent on the overall design.

(c) Lettering on fascias should normally be of a simple style, easy to read and comprise the name of the shop and perhaps the type of trade or goods retailed. Additional advertising produces a cluttered appearance and makes the main lettering most difficult to assimilate. Consideration should be given to including the street number.

(d) Fascias to traditional shopfronts should be of natural materials, preferably painted and with signwritten lettering. Other natural materials may be more satisfactory for individual letters, for example, cast bronze on a stone fascia, if appropriate to the building.

(e) Plastic box fascias, whether illuminated or non illuminated, are normally not considered appropriate in Conservation Areas.

(f) Fascia illumination, if required, should be achieved by the use of traditional methods of external lighting. Street lighting levels in some shopping locations are such that additional forms of illumination may be of limited benefit.