Council orders removal of 'gaudy' Pittenweem witch mural
- Published
The witch mural in Pittenweem will be removed
A Scottish council has ordered the removal of a giant mural by a renowned street artist.
The gable-end painting of a witch was created by Rogue One who has painted many of Glasgow's giant street scenes.
However the mural which appeared on the side of the Larachmhor Tavern in Pittenweem, Fife, last Halloween - did not have planning permission.
A retrospective planning application was rejected by Fife Council's north east planning committee on Wednesday.
Councillors called it "gaudy and inaccurate" and said it must be removed.
The painting of a witch with a hooked nose and warts along the Mid Shore harbour will also be subject to enforcement powers to make sure it is removed.
Planning officers said the mural was "not only inaccurate but also gaudy in its use of colour and stylization".
The village in the East Neuk has long been associated with witches and witchcraft. Popular witch tours ran in the village for several years.
However, Fife Council felt the mural was "based on historically inaccurate false narratives perpetuated by popular media".
They also rejected it on other grounds.
The mural covers the gable end wall of a 19th Century Category C listed building overlooking the narrow School Wynd. It sits within the Pittenweem conservation area amongst a row of B and C listed properties.
"It is in a fairly prominent part of the harbour area, which is quite a popular area," planning officer Chris Smith told councillors. "The wynd itself is widely used. Within the context of the narrow wynd, the mural is considered to be overbearing and inappropriate.
"The typical palette of colours along the harbour is fairly muted and neutral, and we'd be introducing a broad range of gaudy colours to a fairly neutral environment," he said.
Pittenweem is in the East Neuk of Fife
Historic Environment Scotland also advised that the application of paint to unpainted historic walls could cause "considerable damage in the long term by preventing the evaporation of moisture from the underlying fabric."
Artist Bobby McNamara, aka Rogue One, told BBC Scotland he enjoyed painting the mural because it was so different from his normal projects.
He said: "The owner of the property wanted the witch mural as Pittenweem has a witch history, but a few locals did moan a bit about it being mean and ugly and they'd rather not expose their village witch history so much.
"I get that. It's understandable. But the owners wanted it, and I enjoyed doing something edgy and scary.
"I always do beautiful and nice. It's refreshing to be different. It is what it is."
Additional reporting by local democracy reporter Danyel VanReenen