A MALDON menswear shop has been denied permission to expand its store.

Coes on High Street submitted a planning application to Maldon District Council for the second storey rooftop extension in August.

The plans were to create an additional 15.5m2 internal floor area which would have been used for retail storage.

If approved the works would have involved minor internal alterations.

Coes said the only option it had was to convert part of the roof after approaches made to neighbouring properties proved fruitless.

But Maldon District Council has now rejected the plans.

The decision report said: “The proposed development would appears as an incongruous flat-roofed box, in stark contrast to the pitched roofs in its vicinity, and would appear prominent in the views looking up the High Street.

“The design of the proposed development relates poorly to the existing building in terms of siting, scale, bulk and design and would create detrimental harm to the character and appearance of the building and the street scene failing to preserve or enhance the special traditional architectural character of the conservation area.”

It added that the plans would cause “unjustified” harm to the significance of the conservation area as a heritage asset.

Both Maldon Town Council and Maldon District Council’s conservation officer Tim Howson had objected to the plans.