Petition to save Jealous gallery rooftop sign from removal

Jealous gallery in Shoreditch put up a name sign on the roof of its Curtain Road gallery nearly a decade ago.

Now Hackney Council has said the advertisement has got to go. The planning department said they were unlikely to give retrospective advertising permission for the sign, which is in the South Shoreditch conservation area.

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It told the gallery it had to apply for retrospective planning permission or remove all traces of the sign and said it could take enforcement action to get the advert removed. Councils can issue enforcement notices within ten years of unauthorised work being completed.

The gallery has set up a petition to show support for keeping the sign, which had gathered almost 1,700 signatures at the time of writing.

Mixed media artists Miss Bugs have also lent support to the gallery’s campaign.

The Jealous gallery sign photographed in October 2014 Photo: Jealous Gallery

Gallery manager Rachel Buffey said the gallery was “devastated” to be told the sign had to go.

She said: “It’s a really iconic sign. We have people coming from Germany and America to photograph it. It’s featured in a shot of the Shoreditch skyline in the comedy TV programme Catastrophe.

“The rooftop sign has stood as a symbol of the company and has been a landmark in Shoreditch for almost a decade. Not only do we love our sign, businesses and passers-by have also shared their love for it and have expressed that they want it to be a key feature in the local area for years to come. ”

Jealous Building: Love (Mural By Warriors Studio). Photo: Jealous Gallery

She said: “We hope the petition will generate more support.”

The sign was created in-house by Jealous Inc artists and acts as a foreground to the rooftop mural, which changes every six weeks.

Ben Eine is amongst the artists whose work has featured there.

Stuart C is among those who have signed the petition. he said: “Ridiculous knee jerk demand – it’s part of the Shoreditch furniture. Read the room!”

Hackney Council has been approached for comment.

In its letter to the gallery when it asked for pre-application advice the council’s planning said the application for a sign at shop level is acceptable but the roof sign “is not and should be removed”.

A council spokeswoman said: “The council takes its responsibility seriously in protecting the heritage and character of our borough’s conservation areas."

The authority had a complaint about the advert this year.

The spokeswoman added: “It is illegal to display advertisements without having necessary permissions and we are obligated to investigate these complaints. Our investigation concluded that the advert had been placed without the required advertising permission. We have contacted the owners requesting that they either remove the advert or apply for advertising consent and have given them time to do this.

“We want to maintain the balance between new developments and preservation, and remain committed to working together with property owners, residents and businesses to get it right.”

Visit https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/save-our-jealous-london-rooftop-sign to sign the petition.