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Bristol Post
Bristol Post
World
Emma Grimshaw

Mum facing £20,000 fine for painting her front door PINK says council rules are '30 years out of date'

A homeowner ordered to repaint the pink front door of her house in Edinburgh's New Town has painted it green.

Mum-of-two Miranda Dickson, 49, inherited her parents' Georgian home in 2019 in the World Heritage conservation area. In 2021 she got the front door professionally painted with Dulux pink paint.

But in October 2022 she was threatened with a £20,000 fine by the City of Edinburgh Council. Miranda, who grew up in the house, has now painted it green and told the BBC it cost her £500 and she needed planning permission.

Ms Dickson, however, believes the complaint is malicious and described it as 'petty'.

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She said her street, Drummond Place, is filled with brightly coloured front doors, and compared it to Notting Hill, in London, or Bristol. Ms Dickson said: 'There's cities in the UK like Bristol, Notting Hill and Harrogate which are brightly coloured.

'Coming home and seeing my front door gives me joy, I'm proud of it. It's my house, I own it. It's not like I wanted to build a glass box."

However she now has a pink bathroom and pink hall staircase, but said she is still upset about it. Miranda, who runs a travel agency, told the BBC: "When I started my vision about the house, I had my mood boards and for me the pink door was the wrapping to that creative vision.

"The pink door was the external vision to what my internal house is. So to be forced to change it has left me feeling saddened and disappointed.

"I'm upset by all the energy and opinion it has caused and I now feel I am closing a chapter and putting it to bed, although I don't feel peaceful about it. I don't understand why it has caused them to be so angry, I can't understand that emotion about the colour of a door.

"These homes were built as entertainment spaces. They are incredible spaces and I have leaned into the bones of the rooms to maximise their beauty.

"I have restored all the windows and kept the cornices and mouldings as well as the shutters. I have been much more sympathetic than more modern refits.

"And I saw a pink door on Eastenders last night, so it really isn't that weird. When I went to university I had everything pink, even pink dreadlocks.

"The idea for me was to create a dream world which was slightly surreal, with each room having a different vibe. It has taken a lot of work but I feel I have achieved that now. I love it and it feels like my space."

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