The use of plastic in shop fronts and out-of-character features on business premises recently lost Looe a substantial Heritage grant.

Now Caradon council wants to redress the balance and try for the grant again.

The first step is to stage a public exhibition to demonstrate the acceptable practices which apply to advertisements and shops fronts, and they are to do this in partnership with Looe town council and forum and both the Looe town trusts.

English Heritage had rejected Looe's bid for thousands of pounds worth of funds, submitted last July by Caradon and the town council, giving as its main reason that there was need in the town for an enforcement regime to be fully operative to counter many breaches of planning. These especially related to plastic shop fronts and uPVC windows.

The matter was debated at the recent Housing and Properties Committee where is was pointed out that the Heritage funding budget was in any case oversubscribed for the period in question and that English Heritage had confirmed its support for improvement work in Looe and will accept future applications.

Members agreed that an exhibition should be arranged and that both councils should be even more vigilant in future on the matter of planning breaches.