Repaint your pink door or face £20k fine, Edinburgh resident told

An Edinburgh resident living in a historic Georgian area of the city claims she has been told to repaint her pink door or she could be fined £20,000.

Miranda Dickson received a letter from officials last week ordering her to paint her door white as it was not in keeping with the historical character of the buildings in the Scottish capital’s New Town.

The 48-year-old brand ambassador for Absolut Vodka was told she had to change the colour of the door to a more “suitable” colour.

She asked for clarification from the council about what colours she could choose from but said they were “unable to advise”.

Ms Dickson said she was confused as there were dozens of bright-coloured doors in the surrounding streets of her home.

She now has just over a week left to lodge an appeal in order to save her pink door.

“Aside from the fact that Georgians loved colour and pink was a colour worn and used way more frequently then, and it’s pale pink - not bright pink - the bottom line is it brings me joy and happiness at a time when things are a little grey and tough,” she said.

“So many people stop and take photographs of it and tell me how much they love it and it makes them smile.”

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.”

The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture.

Together with the West End, the New Town was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Old Town in 1995.

This is not the first time a resident in a Scottish city has been asked by their council to paint over a pink door.

A homeowner in North Berwick, East Lothian, was also given a warning by council officials to change the colour of her front door in April 2020 following one complaint from a local.

However, she successfully won her bid to keep the colour after later receiving six letters of support.