THE owners of an 18th-century building in a historic market town have been ordered to remove a glass screen they claim protects the front door.
Planning bosses have ordered the owners to take down the screen which they say detracts from the Grade II listed building’s traditional appearance.
The front door which is now at the centre of a planning dispute between the owners and council
The owners have said they put the screen on the door to protect it from passing cars which spray it with muddy puddle water.
The red brick building on Wharton Street is in the heart of Bungay, a historic market town in Suffolk.
East Suffolk Council (ESC) served Peter and Mrs Rachel Morrow, who own the property, with an enforcement notice in November 2022. The couple have since lodged an appeal.
The notice said: “Doors add to the appearance and historical significance of a building and so repairing existing doors is always preferable to a modern replacement.”
It said the Bungay Conservation Area was “negatively impacted by this alien addition”.
Bungay Town Council also supports the enforcement notice as the replacement door is “not in keeping” with the listed building and the conservation area.
The owners, who declined to discuss the matter with the Eastern Daily Press, have stated in their appeal that they installed the screen protect the door in a “sympathetic way.”
East Suffolk Council are reviewing the appeal.
Bungay, famous for its pretty tea-rooms, has at least 70 devil-worshippers living there — more than 100 times the national average.
Bungay is a historic market town in Suffolk
