A convenience store built in a 17th century Grade II listed building has been granted permission to put up “garish” new blue and yellow signs that make it look like a “Cadbury’s Flake wrapper”.

Councillors said Alldays, in the Street, Ashtead, should be allowed to erect the illuminated fascia after hearing it needed to attract more customers to compete with Tesco, which is due to build a new supermarket nearby.

The shop was built at the front of one of the oldest buildings in the village, and Ashtead Residents’ Association opposed its application for new signs because it feared they would be too bright.

However, Mole Valley Council’s development control committee unanimously approved the make-over.

Ashtead Village Councillor Chris Reynolds said: “They should be congratulated for looking ahead and doing some work preparing to fight the fight, because they are going to have a battle on their hands.”

Ashtead Park Councillor Chris Townsend added: “We have to remember what’s been happening recently in Ashtead, and whether a little supermarket there is probably trying to do something to attract customers in case a larger supermarket comes in.”

Ashtead Village Councillor Chris Hunt said other buildings in Ashtead, including the Age UK shop and the Shell garage, also had garish signs.

He said: “It’s their corporate colours, they’ve no doubt done their psychological analysis on what gets the customers in. It looks fresh and clean.”

Council officer Chris Robertson said: “The core of the building, the area at the rear, is late 17th century but with an aweful lot of change, and an aweful lot of things have happened to it over the years.

“If you dig to the core of this you would find this is one of the oldest buildings in Ashtead.”

He added: “What the conservation officer says is the change we are talking about is relatively minimal and doesn’t affect the fabric of the listed building behind, and therefore he thinks it’s acceptable on those grounds.”