Plans to keep a shopfront design converted without planning permission at a gourmet burger takeaway in Pembroke town centre have been refused after opposition from the town council and local history society.

Mr Baksi and Mr Alabtah, through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd, applied retrospectively for permission for a replacement shopfront at 12 Main Street, Pembroke, in the town’s conservation area.

A supporting statement for the Daily Beef gourmet burger takeaway said: “Previously, the unit was vacant, adding no vitality or viability of the town centre. The building is now occupied as a fast-food retailer offering day and night-time vitality to the street.”

The statement said the retrospective application followed an enforcement notice from the council’s planning department, which said a new step onto the highway, the altered frontage and the signage were inappropriate for the area.

It added: “This statement aims to demonstrate that the alterations to the unit and so shopfront are acceptable and would not cause detrimental harm to conservation area.”

“The alterations represent a sustainable form of development, putting a vacant commercial building back into use and aid in the achievement of social, economic and environmental objectives.”

The statement said the site’s planning history “suggests that the property has been in commercial use for many years”, but the lack of records after 2004 “potentially indicates that the building has stood empty for a number of years”.

The statement said the works were carried out to “modernise the shopfront making it fit for purpose”.

The retrospective application angered Pembroke Town Council and registered charity Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society.

The town council called for refusal of the application.

It welcomed the property being brought back into use but said the signage was “poor and inappropriate that detracts from the character of the area,” citing a 2018 appraisal that said Main Street shopfronts “typically are painted timber, with slender glazing bars. Discreet well considered signage does not detract from the charm of original shopfronts”.

Pembroke & Monkton Local History Society said it “objects strongly to this retrospective application,” arguing the works “have resulted in clear harm to the character and appearance of Pembroke’s Conservation Area and conflict with both statutory duties and adopted planning policy”.

It added: “Main Street forms the medieval spine of Pembroke’s historic town plan and contains a high concentration of listed buildings. The new frontage disrupts the established rhythm of traditional shopfronts and diminishes the architectural coherence of the Conservation Area.”

It finished: “Retrospective applications must be judged on their merits, and harmful unauthorised works should not be legitimised through approval. Approval would set a damaging precedent for further erosion of Pembroke’s historic environment.”

County planners refused the application, saying: “The alterations which have been undertaken have removed the traditional and decorative features of the shopfront.

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“As a result, the detailing of the new shop front does not respect the period, style or proportions of the existing building with the colour scheme adding to the detrimental visual impact in this prominent location.”