A couple who spruced up the exterior of their home by having it painted lilac could be forced to repaint their home after council deemed the property “inappropriate”.
Kate Codrington and her partner Ian Davis have enjoyed living in their newly painted home since around August last year, up until Watford Borough Council found out about the job from a mystery complainant and took action.
The pair learned from the council that they needed to have secured planning permission before painting the house and in lieu of this, were told to submit a retrospective planning application.
Kate said the pair were “severely shocked” to find out the application for their Oxhey home had been refused this month.
In the council decision report, the officer described the lilac colour as being “inappropriate to the period of the building which would have used stone-like colours”.
Other painted neighbouring properties in the street are “finished in mostly cream and off-white shades", the Watford Observer reports .
The lilac colour “harms the character and appearance” of the property and conservation area it sits in and is “unacceptable” in terms of design, the officer added.
In response to the officer’s comments, Kate said the council should be focusing on “much bigger issues” such as foodbanks.
One of the primary reasons the application was turned down was because it lies within a conservation area. This restricts work to properties which could normally be done without planning permission.
In a bid to change this moving forward, Kate and Ian have started a petition to abolish the conservation zone in Oxhey, which was introduced in 2013.
The petition, which has so far received 143 signatures, describes conservation areas as "unfair, costly and an undemocratic burden on those who live within them"
The idea of abolishing the status has been met with a mixed reaction from members of a local Facebook group, although the majority appear baffled by the council’s refusal.
Kate said the pair initially had their house repainted as a way to “lift hearts” on a grey day.
“The world needs more joy and colour. The house had been shabby for two years and it showed dirt,” she said.” We didn't know permission was needed and I wasn't aware about the conservation zone.”
While she said the pair “love living in Oxhey”, she added that it was an architectural jumble, with little in the way of building design to be conserved.
She added: "We don't know who complained. To live in a community as friendly and diverse as ours and for someone to be so spiteful to complain is disappointing.”
While Kate was determined that “moaners and council bureaucracy” wouldn’t ruin her mental health, she said she and Ian had been considering what action they could take about the decision.
Ben Martin, head of planning and development at Watford Borough Council said planning issues ranged “hugely” in scale from the paint used on a house in the conservation area to large scale developments providing much-needed homes for Watford families.
"However big or small the application, we carefully consider each and every one against the planning policies and guidance that apply to that specific project to get the right outcome for our community,” he said.
"Protecting the town’s heritage remains a big issue for a number of residents."
