A Lincoln pizza restaurant has been forced to paint over a vibrant mural in its garden terrace.
Dough LoCo said customers loved the colourful, vibrant artwork.
But the City of Lincoln Council said the piece was done without its permission to a listed wall in the heart of the city’s Uphill conservation area.
Matt Barnes, the owner of Drury Lane restaurant, had the artwork painted in the garden terrace last September.
It was completed by a graffiti artist, and Matt said it was bright, vibrant, and colourful and customers loved it.
However, Matt said the council later asked him to remove it, claiming that it was a listed wall, advertising, and not in keeping with the local area.
He said that the reasons changed on several occasions as the council tried to nail down exactly what was wrong and where the “listed” protection applied.
Matt argued the wall belonged to his landlord and was not facing the road, however, the council threatened to take him to court and he said he was forced to comply and paint the wall black.
The wall has now been painted black. | Image: supplied
“When we had the terrace open, families were getting photos in front of it and it just looked good,” he said.
“It really brought up the vibe of the place, but now we’ve got a horrible dark black wall that’s as boring as anything.
“The council don’t seem to be in tune with small businesses – they cancelled the Christmas market, and I don’t think they really understand what it takes to bring customers in, what you need to do to stand out and make your stamp and make your place welcoming for people.
“It doesn’t need to be crazy, but colour and brightness and vibrancy is what brings people to the restaurant not a dull black wall.”
Matt had been looking forward to more customers seeing the wall during its first summer season.
He said this was particularly important when they are competing with other venues which he said have “really nice outdoor spaces”.
Dough LoCo owners Matt and Rachel Barnes with daughter Ava. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
He’s also pointed to other murals – such as the Isaac Newton in Sincil Bank and the William IV themed artwork in the Brayford Underpass – which have been carried out successfully.
Kieron Manning, Assistant Director of Planning at City of Lincoln Council, said the council was “always interested in speaking to businesses” who wanted to “vibrancy and excitement” to the city.
“However, this must be balanced with our duty to also protect Lincoln’s heritage,” he said.
“In this particular case, the business in question failed to speak to us prior to going ahead with their graffiti-style mural onto a listed wall in the heart of the city’s conservation area.
“The mural was not in keeping with the surrounding area and was done straight onto a wall not owned by the business.
“We intervened and asked that the wall be returned to its former state, a request that the business has now complied with.”
The Lincolnite welcomes your views. All comments are reactively-moderated and must obey the house rules. Please stay on topic and be respectful of other readers.
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!
Exciting news for MyLocal app users and The Lincolnite readers! Our latest update is now available to download from your app store and comes packed with the best local news experience you can enjoy.
Revamped News Feed: Enjoy faster loading times and smoother scrolling that make catching up on local news a breeze.
New Play Video Feed: Dive into a dynamic video feed that brings local stories to life in a whole new way.
Enhanced In-App Browser: Access external links quickly and efficiently, right from the app, without any distractions.
Update your MyLocal app from your app store (version 2.73) now and start enjoying these great new features today!
P.S.: Start your MyLocal membership today to support MyLocal and The Lincolnite deliver you a better local news experience and honest journalism from across Lincolnshire.
P.P.S.: We have some huge things in the pipeline, stay tuned!