NEIGHBOURS of what was Greenock’s controversial ‘yellow house’ say they are surprised and disappointed they are forced to change the colour of their property – and today vowed to fight the decision.
Inverclyde Council officials have refused Simon Leslie-Carter and his wife Judy permission to keep the cream and sage colour scheme on the back of their flatted villa in Madeira Street.
They say the colour scheme is not appropriate, and not in keeping with the west end conservation area.
But Mr Leslie-Carter, who is retired, and his wife, who works as a complimentary therapist, are going to appeal, the Tele can reveal.
Simon said: “We are very surprised to get the refusal, it was an unexpected disappointment. We are now going to appeal it.”
Judy added: “I think there is a difference between conservation and conservative.
“I don’t think it’s a bright modern colour.
“I think it looks so pretty and I genuinely felt that it was a traditional colour.”
The couple decided to repaint the exterior wall in June as it had been 22 years since it was last painted.
But within a week of the work being completed, a planning officer showed up on their doorstep.
He told them he had received a complaint about the paintwork and they were asked to submit a planning application form seeking retrospective permission.
But Simon said: “The house was previously painted in cream with a strong contrasting burgundy border so we thought we were toning it down and believed it was suitable for the west end conservation area.” In their application, the couple told the council that, in choosing the colours, the rejection of bright yellow for the house next door had been taken into account.
They said they chose pastel hues which are muted in tone and ‘neither intrusive nor unsympathetic’.
Two members of the public sent in comments to the council in support of the application, while no objections were received.
In a statement explaining the reason for the refusal, Stuart Jamieson, the head of the council’s regeneration and planning department, said: “The dark cream is a bright, modern paint colour that does not have the characteristics of a traditional limewash which may have been used on a house of this period style.
“The colour used to the banding is also an inappropriately contrasting shade relative to the main dark cream colour.
“Painting the rear elevation also results in an unexpected, unco-ordinated arrangement of external colours within the building and the colours are also at odds with the primary white and cream tones found within this part of the conservation area.
“The works undertaken therefore do not preserve and enhance the appearance of the Greenock west end conservation area and are not appropriate in terms of policies of the Local Development plan 
together with Historic Scotland’s policy and guidance which seek to preserve the historic environment.”
Earlier this year, Greenock’s yellow house, which is next door to the couple, was repainted white after a long running wrangle between the owners and town planners came to an end.
The Esplanade property became the subject of complaints after owners the Varese family repainted it a couple of years ago.
Council officials subsequently ruled that its fresh lemon zest exterior was not in keeping with the west end conservation area and ordered that it be repainted, sparking a lengthy dispute which was finally settled.