Shop in posh seaside town that controversially turned blue is repainted

28 February 2024 , 14:30

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The shop in St Ives, Cornwall, has recently been painted white again after the outcry (Image: SWNS)

A shop front in an idyllic seaside town that was controversially painted blue has been repainted white after a series of complaints.

Residents in St Ives in Cornwall were furious at what was dubbed 'the Smurf blue' former camera shop on one of its main shopping streets. They say it was totally out of keeping for a town made famous for its white-painted houses and shops that give the area a unique charm.

Some said the new owner should have stuck to magnolia and felt the much loved tourist destination was 'starting to look like Benidorm'. One upset local said: “What the hell have they done to the old camera shop? How on earth did this pass planning?" Another said it was not the best choice of colour for the area, adding: "It’s disgusting. It sticks out like a sore thumb. It's getting to look like Benidorm."

St Ives Cornwall councillor Andrew Mitchell said the town council met with the new owner to discuss the matter. He said: "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."

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He said the vilification the new owners of the blue house had received on social media for the act of painting their property was "way beyond the pale". He added: "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."

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After calls upon St Ives Town Council to take immediate action it has now been repainted white - with a blue strip remaining at the bottom. The property owner - apparently called Mr Blueberry - was said to be new to town and wanted to put his "own creative stamp on things". The local authority also said he did not have the required planning permission to change the colour of buildings in the conservation area.

Rom Preston-Ellis