THE owner of an Indian takeaway has been told to tear down the refurbished facade of his town centre shop after work was carried out without planning permission.

Community leaders said the frontage of the Cafe Rumi may be appropriate for "downtown New Delhi" but was not in keeping with Cheadle High Street.

Zia Karim had appealed against Staffordshire Moorlands District Council's refusal of retrospective plans for the facade.

But a Government inspector upheld the authority's decision and told him to return the building to its former condition.

Planning inspector Kay Sheffield called the frontage "an incongruous feature which was inappropriate in this location" in her appeal report.

Councillor Stephen Ellis, portfolio holder for planning, development and property welcomed the ruling.

He said the rejection of Mr Karim's appeal had vindicated the stance he had taken against the alteration.

He said: "The work may have been of very high quality but its style and design were not appropriate to the building or conservation area.

"This part of Cheadle may leave something to be desired in terms of architecture but that does not mean we should be condoning works that further detract from the overall appearance."

Father-of-four Mr Karim, aged 35, has traded in the town for more than 10 years.

He said the 'new look' had won the approval of customers and it would cost thousands of pounds to restore the facade to its original condition.