Following years of a controversial planning dispute, a popular York tea room has unveiled its new look.
The Old York Tea Room was forced to remove its signage from the front of the cafe after a complaint was made to City of York Council in 2023.
Although glad this chapter is now behind them, owners Tony and Thomas Vickers say they are still fighting for their business, and have plans to run in the council elections.
The original hand-painted sign above the Goodramgate entrance read ‘The Old York Tea Room’ in black traditional font, accompanied by a teapot illustration.
But the sign sparked a nine-month dispute with City of York Council after a complaint alleged it had damaged the historic Grade I listed building.
Retrospective planning permission was denied in September 2023, and their appeal was also later dismissed.
The tea room is part of Lady Row, and believed to be one of York’s oldest surviving timber-framed buildings, dating back to around 1316.
Tony told YorkMix they hadn’t realised planning permission was required and described the backlash, including a one-man protest, as “complete nonsense.”
The sign has now been replaced with a smaller, hand-painted plywood version, hung above the bay window facing Goodramgate.
Thomas told YorkMix it was a bittersweet moment.
He and Tony had visited the tea room the evening before to prepare, but were left feeling deflated.
“It was the first time we saw the facade after the work had been carried out, we were heartbroken when we left.”
Luckily, community spirit quickly lifted their spirits.
“The turnout today has been phenomenal, it was a huge show of local support with queues out the door. I’m exhausted but in the best way,” Thomas said.
However, there are still major concerns about losing tourist footfall without the original sign.
“We need tourists to come as well, which is what we’re worried about. Our window display is amazing and the house has got its own beautiful quirk about it, but the sign really, really helped.”
‘It’s not the end’
Thomas and Tony are now preparing a new planning application and hope to reach a compromise with the council.
“This plain white facade and modern render is not OK for us,” said Thomas.
When their previous application was denied by the Planning Inspectorate, they were given suggestions for a more acceptable design.
“They thought the sign was beautiful and in keeping with the building, but deemed it too large for the size of the house, and they thought the tea pot image wasn’t very relevant,” he added.
Thomas hopes there are ways of moving forward with the sign, by reducing the text size by 50% and removing the teapot illustration.
He knows this will take time, but is determined to carry on the appeal, “The story is not finished, it’s not the end.”
The pair also have their sights set on the next local election, and believe it’s important to have someone in the heart of the community to represent local voices.
“We’re deciding on which one of us, but one of us will absolutely be running, we don’t like the way this city is being run,” Thomas told YorkMix.
He recalled previous times when trying to communicate with the council during the dispute, only to be told they couldn’t speak to him directly.
“That really upset me, I’d much rather sit down face to face and have a conversation rather than doing everything through email and messages. When did we lose humanity? When did we lose that face to face?”
A lifelong York resident, Thomas believes the city is declining: “I can’t see any light at the end of the tunnel.”
He hopes to bring change “from the inside out”, from issues like parking charges, to ensuring residents have a greater say in the future of York.
“If the signage dispute was what was needed to give us a kick, to have a look around York and see the things that are going wrong, then so be it.”
As the next election is two years away, it gives the pair time to focus firstly on their business, “We’re still dealing with this place first and it’s one thing at a time, but it’s definitely going to be a goal to aspire to.”
Keep up with their journey via their Facebook page.
