A killjoy council has ordered a fish and chip shop owner to remove a Union flag mural from a wall after complaints from neighbours.
The painting of a cartoon fish and flag along with the line “A Great British Meal” was painted on the side of The Golden Chippy in Greenwich High Road, south-east London.
But Greenwich Council has told owner Chris Kanizi, 65, it has to be painted over, telling him it is an unauthorised advert.
The £250 mural had reportedly drawn selfie-conscious visitors to the chip shop in search of a photo opp and fish and chip meal.
An award winning eatery, The Golden Chippy has a five star rating on TripAdvisor and scooped the title of London’s top-rated restaurant on the reviews platform in 2016, according to the Telegraph.
Mr Kanizi told the Telegraph: “[The mural’s] just something to put a smile on people’s faces. But the council said ‘this is a preservation area – you can’t have that and you’ve got to paint over it’.
“They also said people had been complaining, but I don’t believe that. Everyone who has talked to me say they love it.”
The owner, who has run the chippy for 20 years, said he intends to stick it out for as long as he can, with Greenwich not having set a date yet for the mural’s removal.
A Greenwich council spokesman said that following a number of complaints made to local ward councillors, an enforcement case was raised over the mural.
He added: “Our planning enforcement team is investigating this as it is effectively an unauthorised advert for the chip shop. The owner has agreed to paint over it.
“We will always try to negotiate with the owner before proceeding to a formal planning enforcement notice.”
It’s not the first time Mr Kanizi has had a run in with the council, having been ordered to remove a 17ft tall sign from over the doorway in 2016.
Despite a petition of support gaining 3,000 signatures, Mr Kanizi relented when he faced the threat of court action.
