![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/LG21GJURN05KXIH36KZI.jpg\")
Mary Kenny painted her Deal home blue in 2023 – but has now been told to remove it. Picture: Barry Goodwin<\/p>\nA pensioner says she is being picked on after a council ordered her to repaint her blue home following a single complaint.<\/p>\n
Mary Kenny, of West Street, Deal, spent more than \u00a33,000 repainting her house in 2023 as it was \u201cbeginning to show wear and tear\u201d.<\/p>\n
Mary Kenny painted her Deal home blue in 2023 – but has now been told to remove it. Picture: Barry Goodwin<\/p>\n
But Dover District Council (DDC) is now ordering the 82-year-old to redecorate the property in white or pale cream, stating its current appearance is \u201cunsympathetic\u201d to the Middle Street conservation area.<\/p>\n
However, Mrs Kenny feels she is owed an explanation for why the colour is inappropriate, as Deal is home to many colourful properties.<\/p>\n
She has been given six months to comply with the notice – and has now reluctantly started repainting the property white.<\/p>\n
\u201cPainting it blue has improved the street scene because it used to be very grotty,\u201d the grandmother-of-three said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt needed freshening up, and there were a couple of other homes painted blue, and I thought it was a lovely colour.<\/p>\n
![\"Mary](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/E3R833608CEE3PCTFHD4.jpg\")
Mary has reluctantly started repainting her home. Picture: Barry Goodwin<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a little old lady of 82, so it\u2019s very concerning to have to confront a problem like this, but I do feel I am owed an explanation as to why.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m looking for some arbitration and accountability to explain the process. Everyone in the town should know how these decisions are made.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mrs Kenny, a writer, moved into the property in 2013 as she needed a more accessible home for her late husband after he suffered a stroke.<\/p>\n
She says DDC first contacted her about the new colour scheme in 2024 after a resident raised a complaint.<\/p>\n
At the time, the authority only advised her to repaint the home, but it is now taking enforcement action due to the lack of action.<\/p>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/L768FP3YATHEFQSYD7NW.jpg\")
How the property in West Street, Deal, looked before being painted blue![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/8FZW0PH22RGTOP12V0YH.jpg\")
The house sits in the Middle Street conservation area in Deal. Picture: Barry Goodwin<\/p>\n
Mrs Kenny, who is planning to appeal the notice, says she has received positive comments from other neighbours about the colour scheme.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am willing to comply with the request to change the colour when I can afford to, and have made a start on the repainting, but I am appealing as I would like a hearing to make these judgements more transparent,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was able to get my painter to come out one afternoon and start to put the new colour on, and I\u2019ve asked if he can spare some more time.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I\u2019ve informed DDC that I will appeal against the notice because, apart from everything else, I simply can\u2019t afford to repaint it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cA really big part of the job is the scaffolding because I think it cost more than \u00a31,000 last time and is probably more now.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther neighbours have told me they very much like the blue house, and The Alma pub, a few doors from me, is also painted a very bright and charming blue.\u201d<\/p>\n
A DDC spokesman confirmed the authority has issued an enforcement notice against Mrs Kenny.<\/p>\n
Repainting a property would not normally require planning permission, but the authority says it is needed in Mrs Kenny\u2019s case as her home is in a conservation area.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WTUSJ0EU1UTHCY20HUPX.jpg\")
The Alma pub in West Street – just a few houses away from Mary\u2019s property – is painted in the same colour. It is also in the conservation area. Picture: Barry Goodwin<\/p>\n
The enforcement notice adds: \u201cThe painting of the exterior has, due to its inappropriate colour, resulted in a visually unsympathetic development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe inappropriate colour results in the building appearing visually dominant in the street scene, detracting from the visual harmony of the grouping of historic buildings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe painting of the dwelling, therefore, falls to preserve or enhance the conservation area and results in significant harm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under the notice, Mrs Kenny is required to paint the home in white, off-white or cream within six months from May 1.<\/p>\n
DDC adds a failure to comply could result in prosecution or remedial action by the authority.<\/p>\n
However, it does not specify an approved list of colours for repainting a home.<\/p>\n