Owners of listed pub threatened with £20,000 fine and prison sentence after painting building bright yellow

Council asked local businesses to "brighten up" the town, owner says

Owner Gig Nilavongse outside the Golden Lion pub in Todmorden (SWNS)

The owners of a pub painted bright yellow in response to a council's call to “brighten up" the town have been threatened with a £20,000 fine and a possible prison sentence.

The Golden Lion in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, was being painted yellow, the colour synonymous with the Tour de Yorkshire cycle race, which was due to pass through the town.

After the event was cancelled last month due to the coronavirus outbreak, owners Matthanee Nilavongse and Richard Walker received a letter from the council informing them they were in breach of planning laws and ordering them to paint it white or face penalties.​

Ms Matthanee said: “The letter we received told us that we were breaching the law. This was a real shock and we stopped painting straight away.

“We felt a little sad to receive this, and disappointed, as we're an organisation that contributes a lot to the town.

The pub has operated as a live music venue in recent years, hosting DJ sets by Jarvis Cocker, lead singer of Pulp and Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, the author of Trainspotting.

During heavy flooding last month, the pub served as a community hub and it has been providing free food and drink for residents in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

The pub, a former coaching inn, is a Grade II listed building which had previously been painted white.

Offences carried out against listed buildings are punishable by an unlimited fine and up to two years in prison under the Planning Act (1990).

Calderdale Council said it had received complaints about the new colour and that permission was not sought to alter the listed building’s appearance.

But Ms Matthanee said the pub was asked along with other local businesses to help brighten up the town and she had painted it in the hope that it would help raise spirits.

She added: “We are going to have the town planted with yellow sunflowers to greet us all when these dark days are over.“

Calderdale Council cabinet member Jane Scullion said: “After receiving a complaint about work carried out to the Golden Lion in Todmorden, we wrote to the owners of this Grade II listed building.

“We have a duty to investigate alleged breaches of planning control and works to listed buildings are a particular concern to us.

“We understand the contribution that this venue makes to the cultural and economic life of Todmorden and we would like to work with the owners to achieve a mutually agreeable solution.”

SWNS