Protecting Chester’s historic Rows

Chester has continued picking up awards, this year it was named as one of the most welcoming cities on earth, in addition to being named the world's most beautiful city and the world’s prettiest city.

Keeping welcoming residents, businesses and the millions of visitors each year doesn’t happen by accident.  

Working together, businesses, residents, the Council and many partner organisations ensure the city continues to maintain the high standards expected from this international standing.

This summer Cheshire West and Chester Council completed the installation of a series of heritage signs on the entrances to Chester’s Rows. The project funded by Chester BID is part of a series of conservation and improvements on the historic Rows. Helping to better  promote the many businesses at Row level has seen fifteen new signs pointing shoppers to over 90 businesses.

The Council has seen an increase in unauthorised and criminal activity on the Rows in relation to display of advertisements and works being done to listed buildings without consent.

Cheshire West and Chester Council has written to businesses on the City Rows who continue to display a banner, an A-Board or other form of signage attached to the historic fabric of the city without the necessary legal consent.

The letter is asking the businesses to voluntarily remove all unauthorised signage by the end of October and to ensure no such signage is displayed again in the future. Any A-Boards still on display after this date will be removed by the Council. If banners or other form of signage is still attached, the Council will start legal proceedings.

The Council needs to ensure that signage in the city centre is dealt with in a fair and consistent manner to ensure that some businesses are not given an unfair advantage by using illegal signage.

Councillor Stuart Bingham, Cabinet Member for Community Safety and Neighbourhood Pride said:

“In the past we have advised businesses to remove signage and this has been done. However, we then find the signage being re-installed. As the use of this signage escalates it has a detrimental impact on the character of the city and the Rows themselves.

“There is a claim that without unauthorised signage businesses would suffer, however this ignores the damage to the city’s appearance and reputation. If all the historic rows were obscured by signage this would reduce the very reason Chester is such an attractive place to live, work, learn and visit.

“The Chester Rows present a totally unique shopping experience, attracting both local shoppers and visitors from around the world. But their uniqueness also creates challenges including highlighting which businesses are on the upper level. The new signage will now help with navigating the Rows and promoting the businesses.

“A second challenge is for accessibility to the Rows, at the same time that the new signs have been installed, new QR codes have also been fixed to the steps that point to an online map that shows accessible routes onto the Rows that avoid the steep and narrow steps.”

In the letter, the Council’s Planning Team also invite discussions in relation to finding permanent signage solutions, especially for businesses at Row level that do not benefit from any existing signage visible from the street level.

Businesses that require additional help can contact: 

planning@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

In January 2018 licensing was introduced in the city centre to better manage the excessive number of A-Boards that are now only permitted for use by businesses in very limited circumstances. Not only do they clutter the city streets but they also present a trip hazard for pedestrians.

Full details of the licence conditions relating to A-Boards can be found at:

https://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/business/business-hub/a-boards

Pictured - New business signage on Watergate Street Rows.