CALLS have been made for Bradford Council to relax strict security shutter rules in crime-ridden areas to offer businesses greater protection.

Local authority policy is for buildings within conservation areas to have internal shutters, rather than external fittings, but a councillor has told the Telegraph & Argus that he has been inundated with complaints from inner-city firms about the rules.

Ishtiaq Ahmed said traders were frustrated to have received Council letters threatening action over the shutters.

The local authority has responded by saying the policy is clearly advertised so traders should not get caught out.

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One firm, Cartridge Point, on Manningham Lane, installed shutters last year ahead of its opening in August. Owner Muhammad Ahmed said he spent £3,000 on the solid type in order to keep his premises secure.

T&A COMMENT: RULINGS MUST BE FAIR AND CONSISTENT

But he subsequently received an enforcement notice from the local authority telling him to remove the external shutters from his shop, which is in a conservation area.

Planning permission is required for all types of external roller shutters and current Council policy favours the internal grille type, but external grille shutters may be allowed outside of conservation areas and listed buildings.

Councillor Ahmed (Respect, Manningham) said: "Businesses have received threatening letters from the Council saying they must remove them. But why do we have a blanket policy that covers the whole of the district?

"Areas like Manningham and Girlington have a high level of crime and anti-social behaviour. Businesses need to have the external shutters to protect their windows and installing the internal shutters will cost each business thousands of pounds. For inner city businesses, it is suicide to have no shutters on the outside."

He said it was also unfair for firms facing competition from bazaars to pay thousands of pounds for new shutters.

Mr Ahmed, of Cartridge Point, said he spent £200 to apply for retrospective planning permission for his external solid shutters, as advised by the Council, but did not expect to be given approval.

"The whole reason for the shutters is to prevent the windows being broken. Internal ones won't do that, and it will cost me at least another £3,000 to change," he said.

Mr Ahmed's enforcement case was among five similar ones - three of which were in conservation areas - noted at the Council's most recent Bradford Planning Panel.

Councillor Val Slater, the authority's executive member for planning, said: "The new policy was brought in two years ago after consultation. The guidance is all there on the Council's website. I would advise anyone setting up a new business to make themselves aware of it.

"We do need to have a consistent approach across the district. It would not be fair and equal for some areas to have a different policy when it comes to roller shutters.

"The reason people break glass is to get at the stock they want to steal. If they can see the shutters behind the glass, then this deters them. Vandalism is a different matter, but I'm not aware that the inner city areas are at greater risk of vandalism."

She said the Council could take legal action over shutter contraventions.