A tanning shop owner is set to launch an appeal after her sign was refused retrospective planning permission.

Victoria Oakley opened Coco Tanning in Halstead High Street in November and installed a bright sign outside, featuring a tanned, bikini-clad woman.

She was forced to apply for retrospective planning permission after a councillor and conservation consultant objected to the design and materials being “non-traditional” and not in keeping with the Grade II listed property.

On January 20, Braintree Council’s planning committee agreed with Mr Andrews’s view and refused permission for the £1,600 sign.

Mrs Oakley said: “I feel let down by the council due to the amount of rates I pay on the property. “I really am overwhelmed by the support from the local community who feel the decision is laughable.

“And just for the record - the shop could have been left empty if I’d not opened up.”

In the planning decision notice, development manager Tessa Lambert refused the sign on the basis that it is an “overly prominent and incongruous addition to the shop frontage” and “particularly shiny”.

She also said the reclining female was detrimental to the historic character of the property and the wider conservation area.