A SHOPKEEPER has accused the city council of being prejudiced against the colour orange, after he was ordered to repaint his shop.
Planning officers are recommending enforcement action is taken against the "garish" orange and white shop on Slateford Road as part of a city-wide crackdown.
It is one of 15 cases which will be considered by councillors tomorrow, with others incl
uding unauthorised lights, fences and advertising boards.
The council says the colour of the un-named shop, which is a part of a B-listed building, is "wholly inappropriate" in the area. But Vincent Crolla, who runs it as a factory clearance shop, said he was only trying to brighten it up.
He said he had not known he needed permission and there were several other brightly-coloured shops in the area.
He said: "They are being extremely heavy-handed. Why do they have something against orange? There's a canary yellow shop in the same street. It's just a matter of personal preference.
"They seem to be petty and power-crazed."
Alan Henderson, the council's head of planning, said Mr Crolla had also failed to apply for listed building consent before painting the shop and putting up an advertising banner. He said one resident had expressed concern about the change.
He said the "luminous orange paint scheme" is "overly assertive" and was not in keeping with the character of the listed building.
Several neighbours agreed the shop front looked out of place.
Barbara Schweitzer-Thompson, 27, a project manager who lives above the shop, said: "I think it's a bit garish. It looks messy as the paintwork isn't finished off properly."
But Abdul Qadar, owner of nearby Ramzan & Sons newsagents, is supporting Mr Crolla. He said many small shops were struggling in the area and they had to try hard to attract customers.
He said: "This part of Slateford Road has been lacking a bit of life. There are only a few shops and the post office is going to shut in a few weeks. I thought it was quite innovative of him to paint it."
Planning officers have recommended taking enforcement action for 14 other breaches of regulations. These include an unauthorised satellite dish on a flat in Falcon Road and the erection of fences in Wardie Crescent.
A sky-blue plastic panel advertising a dental surgery in Portobello is set to be removed, after a complaint that it spoiled the appearance of the conservation area.
Councillors will vote on taking enforcement action at a meeting tomorrow.
The full article contains 429 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
