A shop owner in a posh seaside town has made waves by painting his store a bright blue.
St Ives, in Cornwall, is famous for its pretty white buildings and greenery. But when the new owner painted the camera shop a bold blue, it really got people talking, reports the Mirror.
He didn’t ask for permission to change the colour, so the council got involved too. Locals took to Facebook to share their shock.
One person said: “What the hell have they done to the old camera shop? How on earth did this pass planning?”
Someone else said the blue was ugly for St Ives. They said: “It’s disgusting. It sticks out like a sore thumb. It’s getting to look like Benidorm.”
Councillor Andrew Mitchell from St Ives Cornwall said they chatted with the shop owner about the blue paint.
He explained: “Some people will say it’s my property, I can do what I want with it, but it is in a conservation area and there is a palette of colours people can choose from. Either this blue is on the list and you can do that or it is not.”
He mentioned that the harsh words thrown at the new owners of the blue house on social media were “way beyond the pale”.
He said: “I personally do not like it but painting a house is not a crime. It’s not like they have murdered everyone’s first born. It is a conservation area and we are in discussion with the owners who have moved to St Ives and acquired a property to open a business.
“We want to welcome them to St Ives but seeing the reaction their choice of colour has caused, they might wish to change it or see the planning process through.”
Last year, the owner of So Sweets, the sweet shop close to the camera shop, also got into trouble when they painted their building bright candy pink. They had to paint it white again after being told off, according to Cornwall Live.
After chatting with the new owners on Thursday, February 22, town councillor Johnnie Wells, who is also the Mayor of St Ives, said: “Town councillors have met with the new tenant and had a very positive dialogue. As a designer, their intention was to put their own creative stamp on the frontage, but they are also keen to respond positively to local concern and views.
“As a result, they have confirmed that they will be repainting the frontage white as soon as dry weather permits and no later than early March.”
He added: “Now the planning constraints on this area of St Ives are more fully understood, any future changes will be subject to planning approval.”
