24 Feb 2026
A mobile phone repair and vape shop in the heart of St Albans’ Conservation Area is being investigated for its jarring new signage.
The bright red signs were installed at I Repair, 28 Market Place, on Monday, replacing the previous black frontage, provoking an outpouring of complaints on social media.
St Albans Planning Enforcement Team are now set to investigate to determine whether the signs are in breach of planning guidelines.
Chair of St Albans Civic Society Mary Conneely said: “Conservation Areas require that buildings and signage adhere to a certain standard, preserving the best of an area, encouraging shops to display themselves to an advantage, but also respecting that area’s importance and the value it contributes to the city’s heritage.
“The location in question, whilst sandwiched between two coffee shops, is a historical nugget of a building. The signage jars and is inappropriate for the street and lets this historic part of our city down.”
Historically, the Grade II listed building was the location of Pike & Sons, a well-known establishment of butchers, grocers, and provision merchants. A carved sign for ‘Pike & Sons’ can still be seen above the location. This section of Market Place, particularly around numbers 28–32, was known as The Shambles.
