Colour conscious council told to put own buildings in order (From Western Telegraph)

Colour conscious council told to put own buildings in order

The council at the centre of the row over the colours of Pembroke-shire's brightly painted listed buildings has been told to brush up its act by putting its own properties in order.

Pembrokeshire County Council has been criticised by one of its own councillors, and also by a distinguished conservationist, over the poor condition of some of its buildings. Ironically, a property opposite the freshly-painted Lion Hotel at Pembroke, is a major target.

The hotel, spruced up recently with a coat of plum-coloured paint, may have breached the Listed Building and Conservation Area Act 1990 according to the county council. The hostelry stands on the opposite side of the street to a council-owned property in Castle Terrace.

The windows of this former retail outlet have been boarded up, the paintwork is dirty and it has a dilapidated appearance. Councillor Bryan Phillips, who represents the Pembroke St Mary's South ward on the county council, described it as a 'pigeon loft'.

"It is a disgrace. It is full of pigeons and really isn't the best advert for Pembroke,'' he said. He understood that the property was for sale, but the council was having difficulty attracting a buyer.

Another critic is Michael Owen, one-time curator of the Roman Baths in Bath, who now lives at Prospect Place, Pembroke Dock.

He believes the council reaction to the colour of the Lion and other properties is unreasonable. "The council has completely lost its way,'' he said. "Colour isn't something that is overly-important unless the area concerned is part of an overall unit such as the Royal Crescent in Bath.

"There can be two buildings side by side that are totally different. The council is losing the point by objecting to the colour of the paintwork.'' Pembrokeshire County Council admits its properties in Castle Terrace are 'not perfect'. It said it planned to sell this site shortly and will review whether any external 'tidying-up' was needed while the marketing process took place.

"Many of these buildings were in a poor state when they were acquired,'' said its spokesman. "They were repainted some years ago and are now in an acceptable condition, though admittedly not perfect.'' The council is currently carrying out urgent repairs on the former Castlegate Hotel.