Red and white striped house in Kensington to be re-painted on council orders

Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, 71, had painted the house in protest over her basement extension planning application being denied

A red and white striped house in South End, Kensington, London, which was apparently painted by the owner in protest at a planning application being turned down on improvements to the property ( John Stillwell/PA Wire)

A disgruntled London homeowner who painted red and white stripes on the façade of her £15 million house in protest over the denial of her planning application has been ordered to remove the offending candy-stripes by the council.

Zipporah Lisle-Mainwaring, 71, irritated her Kensington neighbours when she covered the house in the fresh paint after her request to extent the house to create a two-storey super basement with a pool was resolutely rejected.

The house, which residents have called an ‘eyesore seaside house’, is located in an exclusive London area. While UK homeowners usually have the right to paint their house whichever colour they please – unless it is listed – this right can be revoked if a council decides it has received sufficient complaint over the issue.

Kensington and Chelsea council is now using section 215 under the Town and Country Act, usually invoked when a property’s “condition adversely affects the amenity of the area,” and has threatened Ms Zipporah prosecution if she does not carry out the orders. It has also taken issue with the state of the house’s windows.

A spokesperson for the council said: “The property is situated within the Kensington Square Conservation area and its condition and appearance has attracted numerous complaints to the council’s planning enforcement team.

One local resident called the house an ‘eyesore seaside hut’ (John Stillwell/PA Wire)

“In addition to the exterior being painted red and white stripes, the property’s window frames are in poor condition,” the spokesperson added.

The council said that if the necessary work is not carried out by 3 July it will be able to enter the property and “carry out the necessary works,” before charging her for the costs, adding that she could then face prosecution in the magistrates’ courts.