The owner of a historic building has landed himself in court after painting the outside of it dark blue without permission.

Despite submitting an application for listed building consent after carrying out the work, the unauthorised colour of the premises in Trinity Square, Margate, was deemed "harmful and unsympathetic" by Thanet council.

The owner has now pleaded guilty to non-compliance with the listed building enforcement notice at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court and has been fined a total of £3,740.

In 2017, the property was painted the unauthorised dark blue colour which was deemed unsympathetic to the surrounding listed buildings within Trinity Square.

An enforcement notice was served in February 2020 and the owner subsequently submitted an application for listed building consent, which the council granted.

This allowed the owner to paint the building a different colour, despite an enforcement notice having been served, subject to the strict stipulation that an approved colour was chosen.

But when the enforcement notice was not complied with, the case was then referred to the council’s legal department who pursued prosecution for non-compliance of the listed building enforcement notice.

The owner-occupier pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a fine of £2,000, plus a surcharge of £180 and costs in the sum of £1,560.

Bob Porter, director of housing and planning, says the council has a duty to protect listed buildings across Thanet and will seek to take action against anyone who carries out unauthorised work.

"In this particular case, a clear breach of the regulations had occurred and the owner did not take remedial action despite our teams trying to negotiate a solution with them," he said.

"Listed buildings are an important part of our heritage, so it is extremely important that residents are aware that the council will take action, even if it takes many years, in order to protect it.

"We’re pleased to see that the listed building enforcement notice has now been complied with."

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