A planning row has erupted over a 'garish' shopfront installed without permission by a vape firm hoping to open in an empty unit in south west London.

Richmond Council has ordered Vape Tech Group Limited to restore the shopfront in Hampton to the condition it was in before it took over the building earlier this year.

The council issued Vape Tech Group with an enforcement notice after discovering it had replaced the building's shopfront on Station Road, in the Hampton Village Conservation Area, and installed new shutters before gaining planning permission. The venue was a barbershop until April this year and remains closed to the public.

The council rejected the firm's retrospective planning application for the works on August 13. Documents submitted with the application argued the design of the new shopfront suited the rest of the shopping parade.

But council officers ruled the design was 'wholly inappropriate' and harmed the appearance of the conservation area. The plans received 32 objections from the public.

The firm also sparked fury among locals after applying for a licence to open and sell booze at the venue from 7am to 11pm every day. A total of 34 objections were lodged against the application, with parents raising concerns it would encourage more youngsters to vape and drink as the venue is next to a children's playground and just a four-minute walk from Hampton Junior School.

The council was set to hold a licensing hearing on August 22 to decide on the application, but Vape Tech Group withdrew it before the meeting could go ahead. The firm is appealing the authority's enforcement notice requiring it to restore the building's shopfront to its original condition.

Lib Dem council leader Gareth Roberts told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): "This is an object lesson in how not to do things. Firstly, an alcohol licence was applied for with completely unacceptable hours of business which caused a whole lot of concern among local residents.

"Then, on top of that, the owners destroyed an original shopfront in the Hampton Village Conservation Area, causing still more concern, and replaced it with a new garish shopfront that sticks out like a sore thumb.

"Now they're appealing the council's decision to make them restore the shopfront back to its original status. The owners have shown a total disrespect for local residents and for Hampton."

The agent for the application has been contacted for comment.