Edinburgh historic house owner ordered to repaint pink door

An Edinburgh homeowner has been ordered to change the colour of her front door or be fined up to £20,000.

Miranda Dickson, 48, told the BBC she had been caught up in an "absolutely insane" situation after spending 18 months renovating her childhood home in the New Town after her parents died.

The action was taken following an anonymous complaint.

Edinburgh City Council said the door was "not in keeping with the historic character" of the listed building.

The 48-year-old, who has now moved into the renovated townhouse in Drummond Place, said she had been left "very upset" after receiving an enforcement notice.

She said it followed a letter from the council informing her she must repaint her door a more suitable colour, which was to be "dark and muted".

She said the letter stated her door was "bright pink" but she claims it is light pink.

"The letter told me to paint it white, which goes against the guidelines of dark and muted, it's ludicrous," she said.

Because she did not repaint her door she was given an enforcement notice saying it was because she had not applied for planning permission.

Ms Dickson took pictures of brightly painted doors in her neighbourhood, which is a conservation area in the World Heritage Site, during a "five minute" walk from her house.

"The absolutely absurd thing is when I asked the council about the other doors in the area they said they would take action if they received a complaint," she said.

"But the enforcement notice says the action has been taken because I haven't applied for planning permission."

The mother-of-two, who is a brand ambassador in the drinks industry, moved back to Edinburgh last year after working in the US for nine years.

She refurbished the house with the last task being the painting of the front door in December last year.

She said: "It was a very challenging time for me moving back from California so to have this now is very upsetting.

"I take pride in my house and am very respectful of where I live."

She said her parents, who bought the house in 1981, would have loved what she had done with the house and the front door colour.

"My mum was pioneering and told me to always go for it as life is not a dress rehearsal, that was the spirit I was brought up with, " she said.

"She wasn't stuffy and was outgoing."

Ms Dickson has until 7 January to change the colour.

She added: "It's not like my door is in a bad condition.

"It costs a lot of money to have the front door painted because they are very large. The brass has to be removed and the door sanded first and then you have to leave the door open all day while the paint dries. It's not a quick job."

She said anyone could have made the complaint without even living in the area and called for more transparency as to the validity of the complaint.

A City of Edinburgh Council spokeswoman 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."

She added: "We have not received any other complaints about the colour of other doors in the area but if we did, then these too would be investigated and enforcement action will be taken if needed."