Pub's toucan mural saved on appeal

A pub's hand-painted mural based on the old Guinness toucan adverts has been saved thanks to a successful appeal against an order for its removal.

Durham County Council refused to grant retrospective permission to display the artwork, at the Boat Club in Durham because of "its excessive size, scale and stark colour".

But a government planning inspector said while the colour was "bright", it was not more noticeable than the "large turquoise tower" of the Prince Bishops car park behind it.

The Boat Club falls within Durham's conservation area, but is not listed. Owner Howard Eggleston had previously said the mural cost about £7,000 and took a week to complete.

The building was originally part of a group of early 19th century cottages and home to Brown's Boats.

The mural was turned down at the end of November last year with planners ruling it visually harmful to the area.

They said it failed "to preserve or enhance the special character and significance of the Durham City Conservation Area".

The City of Durham Trust said the painting was an advertisement "firmly associated with the Guinness brand" and showed "little understanding" of the significance of the building.

However, the planning inspector concluded the artwork "would not harm the visual amenity of the area".

A report said the pub building was "dwarfed" by the Prince Bishops shopping centre behind it.

"This creates an incoherent backdrop to the appeal site, and in particular the turquoise-coloured stair tower and curved canopy roof, which are visually dominant," it said.

Planning inspector M J Francis added there were "a variety of advertisements on display in the immediate vicinity".

The report added the mural's association with a pub, the river and the former use of the building "enlivened" the area around it.

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