Woman facing £20,000 fine over pink door

A woman is facing a fine of tens of thousands of pounds after she painted her front door pink.

Miranda Dickson, 48, who lives in Edinburgh's New Town, had her Georgian front door painted last year with pink Dulux paint as part of a renovation.

The mum-of-two inherited the property back in 2019 from her parents, and believes the complaint about the door was malicious and 'petty'.

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She also likened her street to that of other brightly coloured residential roads, for example those found in Bristol and Notting Hill.

"There's cities in the UK like Bristol, Notting Hill and Harrogate which are brightly coloured," she says.

"Coming home and seeing my front door gives me joy, I'm proud of it.

"It's my house, I own it. It's not like I wanted to build a glass box.

"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'."

But the council has said it is not 'in-keeping with the appearance of the building'.

Despite the complaint, Instagrammers are often taking photos of the pink door, which even has its own account.

But it's less popular with planners at the City of Edinburgh Council, who have objected to the colour and are now insisting it is painted white gloss.

Miranda is facing a £2,000 fine unless she complies with the request, and could also be fined a further £20,000 if she is charged with breaching rules within a conservation area.

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"I don't want to paint it white, I'll paint it dark red," Miranda continues.

"People are saying 'why don't you paint it a rainbow of muted colours'. 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.

"They are saying they haven't received any complaints about other brightly coloured doors in New Town and saying it should be an 'appropriate' colour. Appropriate to whom?"

LADbible has contacted the City of Edinburgh Council for comment.

In a statement to Edinburgh Live, a spokesperson 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.”