Tanning shop in Harborough ordered to remove display after council deems it 'unsuitable'

The fate of an ‘offensive’ tanning salon window display, that has been under dispute in a town centre for nearly 18 months, has been decided.

The large vinyl image of a woman sunbathing in a bikini may be gone by the summer after Harborough District Council planning officers ordered it to be removed from a shop front in the town.

Jim Cole, 29, owner of Malibu Tanning Lounge in Coventry Road, has been battling the council over his shop front since he opened the business in October 2021. The local council has claimed the images in the display that feature a bikini-clad woman and a man in tight boxer shorts were ‘highly visible in a prominent location’.

Mr Cole filed an appeal in January, but a planning inspector agreed with the council’s decision after visiting the town last month. The inspector dismissed Mr Cole’s appeal in a report, saying the images cause ‘detriment’ to the character of the surrounding area.

The images were deemed ‘too overwhelming to the modest shopfront’ and according to the report, they occupied all of the available space within the windows.

“I found that the window graphics, because of their size and siting on all panes of the bay, are highly visible in a prominent location on one of the principal approaches into the square and broadly opposite the entrance to the Commons public car park. They would therefore detrimentally affect the character and appearance of the conservation area, equating to harm to the amenity of the area.”

The planning inspector did not fully agree with all the council’s claims, however, and said that bright and vibrant signs were observed on Coventry Road and the nearby square, adding: “I do not therefore consider that the colours of the graphics should necessarily be muted in this location.”

Speaking in January, Mr Cole said that he spent £700 on installing the vinyl shop display to brighten up the street, as well as to protect the privacy of customers. He added that it will cost him several thousands more to have the shop front removed and replaced.

He said: “The problem is, it won’t just involve removing the display but ripping out the front desk and cubicles close to the entrance. The interior will have to be completely redesigned and that will cost us thousands of pounds.

“All because of two people, just two, who I’m told complained to the council – saying that a picture of a sunbathing woman was somehow offensive. I can’t see how anyone wandering around the town centre would think that, it’s the kind of thing you’d see on the cover of any holiday brochure.”

The salon will be forced to remove the images following the decision from the planning inspector or face further consequences. An appeal to the High Court can be made by the salon’s owner if they can argue the decision on a point of law.