Inspector orders Wenzel's in Windsor to change 'characterless' glass shopfront

A bakery in Windsor town centre has been given less than a month to tear down unauthorised changes to its shopfront.

Wenzel’s the Bakers in Peascod Street was served an enforcement notice by the Royal Borough council for breaching planning rules in a historic conservation zone.

A planning inspector has now upheld the council’s notice and said that the ‘unauthorised shopfront causes harm’ to the area’s character and appearance.

Wenzel's put up the offending glass-panelled shopfront when it opened at the former Jones Bootmakers at 133 Peascod Street in early 2022.

The previous Jones Bootmakers shopfront in 2018 (image: Google)

The bakery chain has more than 100 outlets, mostly based in the London area, and offers customers cakes, bread, as well as hot drinks and pastries.

Planning permission for its Windsor shopfront was refused by the Royal Borough in 2023, with council officers warning it ‘would detract from the street scene’ in a conservation area.

The conservation zone regulates development and exists to protect the architectural heritage of Windsor town centre.

The council’s decision also said the plans had been submitted without a heritage statement - required documentation for applications in a conservation zone.

Wenzel’s was then served an enforcement notice demanding the changes be rectified.

The previous shopfront should be reinstated, the notice said, adding the new ‘glazed’ windows should be removed and the building's stone and timber frontage repainted.   

Wenzel’s appealed the enforcement notice to the Government Planning Inspectorate, which rules on planning disputes involving local authorities.

In a decision notice published late last month, planning inspector P N Jarratt said the council had been correct to issue the enforcement notice.

“The main issue is the impact of the development on the significance of the Windsor Town Centre Conservation Area as a designated heritage asset,” the inspector said.

“It is in a highly sensitive area due to its proximity to Windsor Castle.”

"The appeal property is a semi-detached shop in a traditional narrow form in a prominent position within the setting of listed buildings.

“It is a modern building with unsympathetic windows to the first floor but the previous shopfront had been designed with many historic characteristics such as a recessed door and visible joints between panes giving the impression of mullions”.

The decision said the changes had created a ‘characterless shopfront’.

“The removal of the recessed door and installation of modern sliding doors flush with the window results in a non-traditional, characterless shopfront that fails to conserve or enhance the character or appearance of the conservation area,” the inspector said.

‘The unauthorised shopfront causes harm to the character and appearance of the conservation area,’ the inspector said.

One of the appellant’s claims against the enforcement notice was that it had been served incorrectly.

However, the inspector concluded: ‘I am satisfied that the notice was served correctly’.