Authorities refuse consent Basler Lädeli suddenly has to remove lettering after 18 years
A craft store in Basel has to remove its shop window lettering - even though it has been up for almost two decades. The case is causing a lack of understanding among the owner.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A store owner in Basel has been ordered to remove his shop window signage, which has been up since 2008, because he does not have a permit.
- The monument preservation authorities deny that they have ever given their approval, saying that the relevant documents cannot be found.
- As a pragmatic solution, the advertising films may be placed on the inside of the windows in future.
Mail shortly before the end of the year - and then the shock: Jürg Presser, owner of a craft store in Basel, is asked by the Department of Buildings to remove the lettering from his shop window. The reason: they were advertising films that required a permit and for which no approval had been granted.
As the "Basler Zeitung" reported, a building inspector came to the conclusion during an inspection that the lettering was not permitted. This is incomprehensible to Presser. "Everything was fine for 18 years until someone came along and suddenly thought it was no longer acceptable," he told the newspaper.
The authorities gave the store owner a choice: either initiate a subsequent building permit procedure - or remove the lettering. Whether this is a targeted inspection or a random observation remains to be seen. According to the Basler Zeitung, the Department of Construction and Transport did not wish to comment on the specific case.
Monument preservation denies earlier approval
Presser finds it particularly offensive that the lettering was added in 2008 as part of a façade renovation - at the time, he claims, with the approval of the cantonal monument preservation authority. "I discussed every step, no matter how small, with the heritage authorities," he says.
When he now asked for written confirmation, he was disillusioned: no façade renovation from 2008 was noted in the monument preservation files. The last documented renovation dates back to 1986 and the inscriptions were either made without the assistance of the monument preservation authorities or "at least not documented".
Presser finds this hard to accept. He speaks of an absurd situation: "In times of dying shops, we should be happy for every business that still exists - instead of putting additional obstacles in its way."
A pragmatic solution - with question marks
However, there is still a way out. After discussions with the building inspectorate, a solution is emerging: In future, the advertising films may be placed on the inside of the window panes. "As long as the advertising is on the inside, everything is fine," a building inspector is quoted as saying.
This is not entirely contradictory either. As the "Basler Zeitung" continues, a government letter from 2022 states that, in principle, indoor advertising would also require a permit. In practice, however, the building inspectorate applies a more liberal rule: Interior foils are expressly tolerated in the corresponding ordinance.
