ELY businessman John Borland has been ordered to smarten up his boarded city centre shop (right) or face court action. If he fails to carry out the work he could face a fine of up to £1,000 and a court order to comply with the notice. The ultimatum was de

ELY businessman John Borland has been ordered to smarten up his boarded city centre shop (right) or face court action.

If he fails to carry out the work he could face a fine of up to £1,000 and a court order to comply with the notice.

The ultimatum was delivered by council chiefs after Mr Borland failed to meet to discuss the future of the former Greenhouse Fruit and Veg Shop in the Ely Conservation Area in Market Street.

The building has stood empty and boarded up for more than two years.

East Cambridgeshire District Council enforcement officer, Trevor Eagle, slapped a three-page enforcement notice on the shop on Friday.

The notice, setting the deadline as 60 days from February 28, was signed by the council's development services director, David Archer.

Mr Borland, who runs The Fountain pub in the city and Borland's Service Station on Ely's Cambridge Road, has been ordered to remove all boarding from the shop and replace broken glass.

He must make good and repaint the external woodwork, replacing any rotten or perished timbers with an accurate replica.

The notice also orders any part of the shopfront or fascia that has been removed to be reinstated. Planning permission will be required for any material different to the original.

Council officers want the new shopfront and fascia to be painted with two coats of exterior grade paint, varnish or stain of a pre-agreed colour. Crumbling cement or concrete must be removed and replaced.

The notice says: "The property is unoccupied with the shopfront/fascia removed and crudely boarded over. The property is unsightly, has a neglected appearance and has a detrimental impact on the street scene."

Mr Borland has been advised that he can appeal against the notice before February 28 by taking his case to Ely Magistrates in a bid to get it quashed.

His grounds for appeal would be that the building does not affect the area or that the time scale allowed for improvements falls short of what should be reasonably allowed.

Mr Borland refused to discuss the matter when contacted by the Ely Standard.