A beloved village shop hailed as a 'lifeline' by locals is under threat of closure after a single complaint about its new wheelchair-accessible entrance sparked a planning row – and now the owners are facing a £20,000 bill to rip it down.
Kenga and Ajantha Kokulakumar, who run the Roos Village Store and Post Office in East Yorkshire, could be forced to undo accessibility improvements after council officials branded their shopfront 'characterless' and out of keeping with the historic area.
The couple, who took over the store in July 2024, closed for two months to carry out much-needed renovations – including installing a wider entrance, wheelchair ramp and security shutter to better serve elderly and disabled residents.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council has ordered the couple to reverse the modifications, claiming they were carried out without proper permissions and harm the appearance of the village's conservation area.
Ms Kokulakumar, 40, said the returning the building to its original state could cost around £20,000, on top of the £10,000 the couple spent on the refurb.
