Woman told to change colour of pink front door or face £20,000 fine

Homeowner Miranda Dickson says rule is ‘30 years out of date’

A woman from Edinburgh has been warned she could face a £20,000 fine if she doesn’t change the colour of her front door.

Miranda Dickson, 48, from the city’s New Ton area, has branded the council’s rules as “30 years out of date”.

The mother of two inherited her home in 2019, and spent two years completing a renovation. As a finishing touch, she had the door of the Georgian home professionally painted in a pale pink hue.

Dickson said the door often attracts the attention of passersby, with many Instagram users stopping to pose for a picture in front of it.

However, the City of Edinburgh Council has objected to the colour and have ordered Dickson to repaint it white after they received a complaint.

If Dickson does not comply, she will face a fine of £2,000. Additionally, if she is charged with an offence of breaching the rules in the protected conservation area, she will be fined £20,000.

Dickson noted that her residential street, Drummond Place, has multiple other properties with brightly coloured front doors, such as in the colour red.

She believes the complaint against her door was filed with malicious intent, and “petty”.

“There’s cities in the UK like Bristol, Notting Hill and Harrogate which are brightly coloured. Coming home and seeing my front door gives me joy, I’m proud of it,” Dickson said.

(Courtesy of Miranda Dickson / SW SWNS)

She said the pink was fitting with the Georgian home, as pink was popular during the era.

“Georgians loved pink. In that era all the windows were painted grey or black, and people had different coloured front doors. I’ve had overwhelming support from people saying ‘it’s amazing’, and ‘it makes me smile’.”

The council’s planning rules state that front doors should be in a “muted” colours, however it doesn’t specify which colours this excludes.

Dickson said she plans to repaint the door in a dark red colour.

(Courtesy of Miranda Dickson / SW SWNS)

“In a world where we are supposed to be open minded and after all the stuff we’ve been through the past two years, I thought people would be more community minded,” Dickson said.

In a statement to Edinburgh Live, a spokesperson for the City of Edinburgh Council said: “The colour of the door is not in keeping with the historic character and appearance of this listed building in the New Town, part of our World Heritage Site.

“The owner agreed the door would be repainted, but as this work has not been carried out, we are taking enforcement action requiring them to repaint the door.”