Andrew Richardson didn’t realise he needed permission from the council to change the colour of his shop (Picture: Andrew Richardson/SWNS)
A gin company owner was left fuming after being ordered to repaint his shop front because one person dislikes the colour.
Andrew Richardson painted the House of Boë shop in Queensferry, near Edinburgh, purple last June to match a colourful high street.
But he has been at loggerheads with City of Edinburgh Council since October after being issued with an enforcement notice due to one complaint.
The council says it is an offence to paint a listed building in a conservation area without consent, and ordered the dad-of-two to repaint it.
Andrew launched an appeal and online petition which has been signed by around 1,500 people.
But now the Scottish government has upheld the council’s decision.
Andrew said he will now have to pay £4,000 to repaint the entire shop – and isn’t even sure what colour it should be.
The 60-year-old said: ‘It’s really disappointing because we thought we had made a strong case.
Many of the other buildings on the street in Queensferry are colourful (Picture: Andrew Richardson/ SWNS)
‘The council said the shop is in keeping with the High Street, that wasn’t the issue.
‘But because the building next to us is stone they said the paint is not in keeping with that and it needs to be. It just seems such a nonsense.
‘The pub across the street from us is painted black, red and white – so it doesn’t add up.’
Andrew says he had no idea he needed permission to repaint his shop, and called the council ‘narrow-minded’.
Andrew said: ‘I fully appreciated we should have checked before we painted the building.
‘Locals have told us the paint has helped brighten up the street, no one wants a grey high street.
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‘But the council don’t care what the local people want, that’s not part of their decision making process.
‘There is no way to appeal this now, the decision has been made and that’s the end of it, there is nothing we can do.’
A City of Edinburgh Council spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘It is an offence to paint a listed building in a conservation area without the appropriate consent.
‘In this instance we have taken action because of the harm to the building and the conservation area.
‘We note the decision of Scottish ministers who agree with our decision.’
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‘I am not even exactly sure what colour they want me to paint it now.’
