Bristol rainbow roof has to go, rules City Council
The roof was painted to support the LGBTQ+ community and the NHS
A roof painted in rainbow colours to support the LGBTQ+ community and the NHS has to be removed, Bristol City Council has ruled.
The decision followed Ken Aylmer, 52, painting the canopy of his Grade II listed Georgian home in the Clifton area of the city after having repairs carried out last October.
He applied for permission earlier this year in February with a Bristol City Council officer ruling in September that the paint fails to preserve the listed property.
The retrospective planning application received 107 messages of support and only 34 objections.
In April Mr. Aylmer told the BBC that he had settled on the rainbow colours as his daughter “is an advocate for all things queer.” He also wanted it to represent the NHS after his wife recovered from stage four lymphoma.
Bristol City Council has said the brightly coloured canopy “is highly visible from a wide area” of the city,” and that “vibrant colours consequently impact the character and appearance of the Clifton and Hotwells Conservation Area and City Docks Conservation Area.”
It also said: “The addition of this colourful paintwork to this single property is not considered to be in keeping with the listed building and would fail to preserve it.”
Among the complaints from residents, as per the BBC, is that the painted canopy is “visually incongruous” with the buildings. “Allowing this to remain will set a dangerous precedent,” wrote one complainant.
The group Historic England also complained saying, “works undertaken cause harm to the significance of the Grade II* terrace.”
Mr Aylmer is reported to be working with the council on a solution.