Readers react after BBC One’s The Apprentice candidate Marianne Rawlins ordered to repaint baby shop Stork of Stamford in St Mary’s Street by South Kesteven District Council
A businesswoman’s brush with council planning officers has been met with criticism from residents.
TV apprentice Marianne Rawlins has been ordered to repaint her shop Stork of Stamford after council officers decided the gold and black colours are ‘harming’ the Tudor-style listed building.
Marianne, a mother-of-two young children, was unaware that additional permission for painting the building was needed until a complaint was lodged.
A retrospective application was submitted to South Kesteven District Council, but planning officers decided the colours are ‘harming’ the listed building and have ordered her to repaint.
Readers have been having their say, with many expressing their outrage at the council’s decision.
Alan Kenny said: “Appalling decision. They should be ashamed.”
Kevin Alan Edwards added: “Ludicrous decision - we need more independent shops in town and this has character to it.”
Robert Smith branded it ‘utter nonsense’ while Steven Crown questioned ‘how can a colour harm a building?’
Sam Price told the council to hang its head in shame as the shop is ‘well-maintained and is anything but an eyesore’.
Andy Wilson said: “If it was my shop I would vacate it and reopen where it would be appreciated.
“Stamford could then have another empty building to turn into another unwanted charity/coffee shop.”
Lydia Merifield pointed out that empty shops are more of an eyesore while others questioned how chains with buildings painted brighter colours get away with it.
Neri Zaccardelli said: “For goodness sakes, it's not like it's neon.
“Just because you're boring as heck and want to keep the town boring as heck.
“There is nothing wrong with the colour, it's considered and elegant.”
Marianne chose a yellow colour, called cherished gold, from the Dulux heritage range as it was the most similar to Stork’s logo while the black was chosen to match the existing Tudor-style beams.
Despite not winning over the council, many readers praised the colour scheme.
Roger Bradshaw said: “Colour looks great and sympathetic to the building.”
Barbara Carter added: “Looks absolutely amazing. Wish the council would concentrate on more important issues.”
Bev Dorcheh described the colours as ‘charming not harming’ while Denis Smith said: “I think it looks very nice.
“The black timber retains the Tudor look. It's not really yellow, it's more of a buff colour.
“I see nothing wrong with it.”
Cassie Mcdaid believes it’s more in keeping with the Tudor era than most shops in the area.
A handful of readers supported the South Kesteven District Council’s decision, including Lorna Johnson who said: “So there are planning rules, they were broken, simple. It's a building that should have been kept in its traditional style. Why is everyone bothered?”
Objections to the gold paint were lodged by the town civic society and Stamford Town Council who told planning officers it wasn’t acceptable for the conservation area.
Barry Devereux, a Stamford town councillor, defended the decision.
He said: “The planning regulations around listed buildings and conservation areas are very clear and available for anyone to read in Government literature.
“The building in question is a fantastic example of a medieval building and possibly the finest example in Stamford.
“South Kesteven District Council planning has taken so many points under consideration in reaching their decision, a decision in which they engaged fully with the application in attempting to reach a suitable solution.
“Ultimately their remit is to preserve the building and the situation in which it is located.
“ I believe that they have reached their decision in carrying out full due diligence and the decision is the correct one.”
Jonathan Waples, also a town councillor, added that the situation could have been easily avoided if Marianne had consulted with the council.
A commenter under the name Stirling123 pointed out that rules are there for a reason and need to be followed.
They said: “Whether individuals like the colour or not is not the issue here.
“The fact is they took on a shop in full knowledge (they should have done their due diligence) that it was in a conservation area/a listed building.
“As such any changes should have been discussed and agreed before being carried out.”
What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
