A NEW public consultation has been launched into a document that will help improve the quality of shopfronts within Copeland’s towns and villages.

The Council is in the process of developing a Shopfront Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) to help ensure attractive and effective shopfronts are provided and maintained.

The six-week consultation launched on Monday, May 10, gives residents, businesses and interested parties the opportunity to comment on a draft of the SPD before a final version is produced. The final document will be used to guide future decision-making.

The draft SPD identifies key elements of shopfronts, and provides a history of how they have evolved over time, to give owners and businesses an understanding of their buildings and their frontages.

It then highlights good practice and things that should be embraced – or avoided – by anyone maintaining or providing a new shopfront.