PPS 6 Planning Archaeology and the Built Heritage·Page 63·E25
Shop Front Design and Materials
Shop fronts on historic buildings should use traditional materials and proportions, avoiding modern plastics and corporate designs. Fascia boards should be scaled appropriately with cornice or capping details to create an architectural division between the modern shop front and historic upper floors.
Depending on the nature of a proposed commercial or office use, it is very often unnecessary to provide display windows and thus alter an intact ground floor. Existing openings should be retained wherever possible, and if alteration is necessary it should only be to the minimum extent required. Standard corporate shop fronts are seldom appropriate for historic buildings, nor are internally illuminated fascia boxes or signs. The prestige value of listed building premises and their distinctive detailing can be emphasised instead.
Source — /Users/richardhill/Documents/planning-arch-project/data/documents/regional/PPS 6 - Planning Archaeology and the Built Heritage.pdf