THE civic society wants the council to demand the removal of satellite dishes on a listed property in the city.

Worcester City Council is currently investigating the four receivers above Layans Superstore and Esthetique Beauty Clinic, in Lowesmoor.

The council said it had not granted permission for the dishes to be installed on the Grade II listed building.

Phil Douce, chairman of Worcester Civic Society, said: “The city council at the moment are just ticking everything off.

“Jonathan Lester [the city council’s planning officer] has issued one enforcement notice in the last six years. That’s his job.

“Why’s Mr Lester not there this morning, saying get those damned aerials down?”

Mr Douce lamented the loss of the council’s conservation officer, Julie Shaduwa, who recently left her post.

He said there is no longer a specific officer overseeing Worcester’s 20 conservation areas, of which Lowesmoor is one.

In response to Mr Douce’s criticism, the council said it had received 220 reports of alleged breaches of planning regulations in 2018.

A spokesman added that the council was working its way through the outstanding cases and looked forward to resolving them as soon as possible.

“When the council receives a complaint about a satellite dish, we undertake an investigation to determine whether enforcement action is necessary,” the spokesman said.

“This could entail removal of the equipment or we could recommend that the dish is relocated out of sight at the back of the property.

“You need listed building consent to install a satellite dish on the side of a listed building, or planning consent if the property is located in a designated area such as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.”

Worcester City Council also recently received a complaint about the satellite dish above the St Richard’s Hospice furniture store in Lowesmoor.

One resident told the Worcester News that another receiver was set up above Pepe’s Peri Peri chicken shop, in Lowesmoor, on Sunday.

The local, who did not want to be named, branded the aerial an eyesore.

Worcester City Council said it would investigate the complaint.

Jabba Riaz, a city councillor for Cathedral ward, said: “The message needs to go out that these are listed properties, they need to remove the dishes with immediate effect and make good the repairs.

“Buildings are listed for a reason, it’s important that people follow the guidelines.

“Satellite dishes make a building look ugly, depending on the dish and how prominent it is.”

Mr Riaz said the tenants in the properties are probably unaware that they are breaching planning rules and have put up the dishes without the permission of their landlords.

There is no suggestion that Layans Superstore, Esthetique Beauty Clinic, St Richard’s Hospice or Pepe’s are responsible for the dishes.

Worcester City Council can only take enforcement action against the dishes if they have been in place for under four years.