Lymington computer shop owner James Peacock to appeal against New Forest District Council shutters rule

A LYMINGTON business owner plans to fight back against planning rules that mean he must remove security shutters from his High Street store.

James Peacock, owner of Peacock Computers, will have to remove the protection from the front and rear of his premises after New Forest District Council refused a retrospective application to keep them.

An NFDC report said the shutters were a “visually prominent modern element” that caused “significant harm to the high aesthetic character” of the adjoining Grosvenor House and Lymington Conservation Area.

It added shopfront design guidance “makes it clear such security features are not acceptable in historic areas”.

It claimed they “cause harm to the economic vitality of a shopping area through the creation of a lifeless and hostile environment that is apparently vulnerable to crime”.

But Mr Peacock said he has a legal obligation to protect his customers’ data, although he conceded he was “naive” to put up the shutters before checking the area’s planning rules.

He expressed his concerns in the wake of a months-long spate of vandalism and break-ins at businesses throughout the Forest, including at Lymington Town FC’s ground.

Mr Peacock told the A&T: “My staff and I were just setting up our Ringwood store when someone used a catapult to try and smash a window to get in and grab a laptop.

“Luckily, they didn’t manage to completely break the glass but we were just opening our Lymington store at the same time and I was concerned about security.

“I tried to get various local companies to provide a quick quote to put security measures in place because we’ve got to protect not just valuable goods but our customers’ data as well.”

He added: “I did it in a bit of a panic but we won’t be able to take them down until we’ve got something else in place.

“Because of data protection laws my main concern is protecting customer data.

“I understand that I need to remove the shutters but I will put in an appeal – it might delay things a bit.

“It was a bit of naivety on my part just putting up the shutters but I can’t have a period of no security.

“Sometimes kids run around behind the back of the building and have done things like throw eggs at customers’ cars.”

He added: “I’ve already had to put up a security camera, which seems to have helped stop that – but there’s been a lot of vandalism in the High Street over the years.

He claimed one shop had been ram-raided three times in the past and the nearby perfumery hit at least twice.