THE owners of a celeb-favourite hotel visited by Hollywood A-listers say they face a £100,000 bill to repaint their building after the local council refused permission for its newly brown exterior.
The George in Rye is regularly voted among the highest-rated hotels in the country.
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It has played host to household names including Matt Damon, Ian McKellen and Kevin Costner and George Cloone
But now, owners Alex and Katie Clarke face a planning battle after they painted the pub’s exterior in a light brown and were then denied retrospective permission by Rother District Council.
The George was previously a light grey colour but was repainted in 2021 after a devastating fire in summer 2019.
The Clarkes say they submitted proposals for the new colour to the council’s conservation officer and say they received an email back which said: “I have finally had a chance to look at all the documents relating to the façade and ballroom, and support it all!
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“It really does appear that the additional research was all very much worth it.
“I’m sure the new colour scheme to the façade will keep Rye busy for a while and may even be the harbinger of a new colour culture!”
After receiving the support by email, the George was painted alongside other major works to get the building back into use as quickly as possible following the fire.
However, Rye Conservation Society kicked up a fuss, saying in a letter in August 2021 that they felt they had been “kept out of the loop and apparently denied any say in the matter.”
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A retrospective application for the colour change was then denied permission, leaving the pub in a “vulnerable position.”
The letter, from Julian Luckett, chairman of the conservation society’s planning committee, added: “One area of major concern to the Society relates to the redecoration of the principal façades to the High Street and Lion Street.
“This appears to have been completed and it is understood that the dismantling of the scaffolding is about to commence.
“Our investigation of the paint analysis report and the historic photographic record is set out below and is the basis for our strong objection to the paint scheme which has apparently been adopted, and to the manner in which this significant change to the streetscape of Rye and the Conservation Area has been dealt with.
“Whilst the Society fully understands the commercial and social necessity of bringing The George back into operation, it cannot and should not be in a form that we believe is historically incorrect and will significantly affect the listed building itself and the setting of the Conservation Area.”
Mounting a ‘Save Our Colour’ campaign, the Clarkes asked for support saying they would never have spent the money painting the building if they didn’t think it had support from the council.
Getting planning permission in a conservation area: What are the rules?
Many types of improvements to your home or business are covered by permitted development rights (PDRs) which allow owners to make changes to their building(s) without permission.
But some do not apply to home or business owners that when they reside in conservation areas.
Your local planning authority (LPA) can even remove additional rights by issuing an Article 4 direction – used to protect heritage assets.
Constituents are told to check with their LPA for any restrictions that are enforced in their area.
The key information for owners in conservation areas is that the restrictions are designed to protect the appearance of a protected area, meaning any external work will often require permission to make changes.
Residents are advised to apply for permission well in advance of making any changes to avoid any problems with their local council after works are finished.
They say that a heritage paint consultant told them the George was painted in a range of colours in the 19th century, including a similar colour to the light brown it is painted now.
They said in a statement: “The George has had a retrospective planning application for its external paint colour refused – which has left us with no option but to appeal formally.
“We are not ones to court public attention, but if we are forced to re-paint the George you will all hear about this anyway, hence our approach to you today.
“There are many buildings in Rye’s citadel that are not white….white/grey is not necessarily ‘correct’ because it was painted that most recently; this is a matter of personal taste and historical fashion.
“Forcing the hotel to be re-painted at this stage would cause disruption to High Street businesses and traders, with extensive scaffolding required and with the need to redecorate in the summer.
“The George is the town’s main employer and if we are forced to repaint the building, this would be at a significant cost, adding financial pressure onto the business which has recently re-opened.
“Planning fees and repainting works are anticipated to total in the region of £100,000.
“The George contributes a considerable amount in terms of additional visitor spend for retailers, bars, restaurants and food and drink suppliers in the local economy.
“A key employer is being put at risk for the sake of a paint colour that we were encouraged to use, by the authority who has since refused both applications and now left us in a vulnerable position.”
The George’s refurbishment following the fire earned it the 2023 Sussex Heritage Award in the commercial category, which the Clarkes say would not have been given had the colour been deemed “inappropriate.”
They went on: “Rother’s Conservation Officer at the time insisted that we did not re-paint The George its previously used grey-white colour, and so we adopted a previously used colour as evidenced by historical samples taken from the building and using expert paint analysis.
“This research showed The George indeed was a range of colours in the nineteenth century, not just a white or cream palette – with previous shades of colour include dark and brown tones.
“Rye’s High Street today also shows the use of colour on painted stucco rendered buildings, woodwork and window frames.
“The Conservation Officer however left their position and the council’s view has since changed.
“The Conservation Officer at the time was under resourced, being given both the role of Conservation Officer and Planning Case Officer on our project, which is not usual for an application of such complexity.
“The impact of Covid did not help. This led to delays for plans to be uploaded to the planning portal for public consultation, with planning permission taking over 15 months to eventually come through.
“Given the challenging nature of the rebuilding project, we would never have proceeded to paint the building if we felt it was not supported by the Conservation Officer at the time – as far as we were concerned the paint colour had that Officer’s agreement and therefore Rother’s full support – after all the Officer was acting with two hats, Conservation and Planning.
“If we had waited for Rother District Council to officially approve the application, the building would have deteriorated further and we needed to get the property repaired and the business open.”
A Rother District Council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an application for retrospective planning permission in relation to the external paint colour of The George in Rye was refused.
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“An appeal has been made to the Secretary of State against this decision and we are unable to comment further whilst this appeal is ongoing.”
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