Alex Skopellos is the proud owner of the Raglan Street rainbow fence – a standout in the heritage-listed street in the suburb of Port Melbourne.
The fence was painted two years ago by street artist Lachlan Bell, bringing a bit of colour to the street and the lives of passersby.
However, not everyone is as enthusiastic about it as Mr Skopellos.
A complaint to the Port Phillip Council saw the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal order that the fence be repainted with heritage colours within 21 days. If Mr Skopellos doesn’t comply, he risks being fined a hefty $4,000.
“Heritage is a very important issue to a number of people in the area and we have regulations,” Port Phillip Council mayor Amanda Stevens told The Age.
But after travelling to colourful South America and India, grey, beige and pink tones just don’t seem to compare.
According to Mr Skopellos and housemate Aiden Desouza, despite the complaints from the council, people have been very complimentary, after finding out what his neighbours think first hand by going straight to their doors.
“There were no complaints [from neighbours], everybody said they loved it,” Mr Skopellos told The Age.
“It’s just the council trying to make it more conservative for the yuppies. You’ll be doing more bad than good painting over it.”
Mr Skopellos at least has the backing of artist Mr Bell, who has said he’ll agree to pay any fines if the council doesn’t budge.
Source: The Age