Owner of bright orange and blue dry cleaners' store is told to repaint

The owner of a dry cleaner's has been ordered to repaint her bright orange and blue shop after council chiefs accused its appearance of doing 'harm' to a historic market town. 

Vicky Whiter, owner of Peters' Cleaners in Stamford, Lincolnshire, could even be taken to court if she refuses to repaint her shop front, which she recoloured without planning permission.

Council chiefs said the choice of blue and orange was 'unacceptable' for a listed property in a conservation area in a town branded 'Britain's most picturesque'.

Ms Whiter had given the business on St Paul's Street a new lick of paint in October 2022 as part of rebranding plans to uplift its outdated look.

But she said she was unaware planning permission should have been sought first because of the building's history and its place in the posh town's conservation area.

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But Ms Whiter is standing firm after being told she must fork out thousands of pounds to repaint the shop front.

She is asking planning officers from South Kesteven District Council for more flexibility and time to correct the mistake but faces court action if they refuse.

In a letter, she said: 'I budget to re-decorate the shop front every four years and will happily adhere to all planning when I plan to re-decorate in the summer of 2026.

'At this time however I cannot put the survival of my business at risk by spending now.

'It would help me and other independent retailers immeasurably if the council worked with us to agree a more flexible timetable with a view of bringing everyone in line by December 2026.

'As the rules haven't mattered for the last 20 years, I can't see why another 18 months would be such an issue.'

Ms Whiter believes the shop, which was previously painted a plain dark blue, got lost in the street scene and so she was keen to make it stand out.

The new blue is similar to the original dark blue colour with the orange chosen as its 'nature's natural complement to blue in sunrises and sunsets'.

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She said the vinyl was also added in the brand colours to protect the staff from the sun which shines into the shop for the majority of the day.

Vicky believes redesigning and redecorating the shop will cost between £4,000 and £5,000, which she 'cannot warrant spending at this time'.

She said: 'I very much hope the council will take a pragmatic and supportive stance and work with small independent retailers to ensure that by improving the look of the High Street they don't immeasurably damage it by driving independents out of business.'

A spokesperson for South Kesteven District Council said in February it was happy to work with the applicant to agree both a new colour scheme and a timescale for the repainting of the shop front.

When asked again this week, a spokesman said the council's position had not changed and did not confirm whether they are willing to work to the timescale Vicky has suggested.

However, the shop owner says she was given a deadline of the end of September to resubmit a planning application and now believes they may take her to court.

Ms Whiter added: 'This bullish attitude is unfathomable.

'Stamford's independent shops are the heart and soul of the town and are what makes it special.

'You only have to look at the success of Shop Stamford to see this. There aren't many High Streets that have a Hambleton Bakery rather than a Greggs.'

Peters' Cleaners customer Thomas Bradley, 37, said: 'Its very extreme. Its no brighter than Dominos, Subway, O2 and Vodafone down the road.

'But the council won't touch the big guns, they just seem content on targeting the smaller businesses.'

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When the council was asked how long she has to repaint and what action will it take if the business is not repainted, they did not provide an answer.

According to the Stamford Shopfront Design Guide, a document drawn up by the district council to ensure the heritage is retained, the maximum penalty for breaking the rules is two years in prison and an unlimited fine.

The rules include a recommendation to use white or neutral colours on slender shopfronts, and a single colour for all the major elements of the design.

However, there is no prescriptive colour chart dictating which shades are allowed.

Several shops in Stamford have eye-catching shades, including Oliver Bonas, which stands out in pink in the High Street, and Joules, which sports yellow.

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Marianne Rawlins, who featured on TV show The Apprentice and runs Stork of Stamford, was also ordered to repaint her town shop after council officers decided the colours were 'harming' a listed building.

The children's shop is painted yellow and black to match the existing Tudor-style beams.

After receiving the enforcement notice in July, Marianne resubmitted plans for a deeper shade of gold which she believed had the council's support but these were refused due to not including drawings.

Marianne plans to resubmit her application and hopes it will be approved so she can 'eventually stop talking about paint'.

Locals previously branded Vicky and Marianne's brush with council planning officers as 'appalling' and 'utter nonsense'.

They believed the decisions were 'extreme' considering the independent business is just down the road from brightly-coloured Dominos, Subway and O2 stores.

Several businesses across the country have faced similar problems with councils bullying them into repainting their stores because of they believe the unnatural colours cause the buildings to look 'garish' and not 'sympathetic to the area's heritage and history'.

The killjoy local authorities use planning regulations to stop entrepreneurs from painting their shop's distinctive colours such as yellow, pink and gold.

Officials have been ordering the business owners who painted their privately owned listed buildings unapproved colours to repaint them.

The practice has left some owners, already struggling with the cost of living crisis, thousands of pounds out of pocket as they struggle to quickly change their entire shopfront.

The harsh crackdown has left some business owners accusing their council of using heavy-handed techniques to force shopkeepers and landlords to make changes.

The latest example of the practice was the Beano cafe in Canterbury, Kent, which had become infamous locally for its stand-out bright yellow colour scheme and a sign with the logo of the famous comic which it takes its name from.

But it was forced to be repainted white, after a threat of legal action from the council as part of its campaign against listed buildings with 'garish' appearances.

Another example of business owners facing stiff opposition from councils over the colour of their shop was Christopher Nevill in Kent.

The landlord was threatened with prison time by his local council after giving his 16th-century shopfront a pink paint job.

He secured permission to repaint a nail salon and hairdressers in Canterbury High Street with a lighter shade of pink.

However, after starting work on the shopfront he received a shocking warning in the post.

The Grade II-listed buildings were flagged by Canterbury City Council as part of its crackdown on 'garish' buildings.

Residents living in St Ives, Cornwall, were left furious at what was dubbed 'the Smurf blue' colour of the building.

They argued that the former camera shop was out of keeping with the rows of magnolia-painted houses and shops.

Some said the new owner should have stuck to the white and felt the much-loved tourist destination was 'starting to look like Benidorm'.

Consequently, local councillors called on St Ives Town Council to take immediate action.

Now it has been repainted white - with a blue strip remaining at the bottom.

Also, there was controversy last month after a house in Sea View Drive, Scarborough, repainted their house a bright orange.

Brian Richardson, who lives opposite, said: 'We are the only ones who have to face it. Nobody likes it. They all complain about it. I cannot understand why that colour.

'Talk to anyone who passes and they will tell you the same. But I don't know what can be done.'