I've been ordered to paint over an 8ft mural on my 400-year-old pub... the council are bullying me but I won't give in
A landlord has refused to paint over an 8ft mural on his 400-year-old pub after his council tried to 'bully' him into removing it.
Martin Peel, 53, paid an artist £1,200 for a bull mural to be painted on the side of The Bull's Head in Wootton Wawen, Warwickshire.
However, after the work was completed in April, Mr Peel received a letter from Stratford District Council saying it 'violated planning rules for listed properties'.
The father-of-two, who has been in charge of the 16th-century boozer for three years, was given four weeks to remove the mural or he would face legal action.
He said: 'We are determined to keep the bull painting.
'We'd be obliterating three days of work by an artist using skills which are dying out. Everything we do is with an eye on heritage. We see ourselves as a temporary custodians of this wonderful pub.'
Martin Peel, 52, pictured alongside his new mural at The Bull's Head Pub in Wootten Wawen, Warwickshire
Mr Peel says his local council are making him paint over the £1,200 mural he had painted on the side of his 400-year-old pub
Stratford District Council demanded the 8ft high painting be removed after claiming planning permission is needed for work on listed properties
Mr Peel, who runs the pub with his partner Omm, told BirminghamLive: 'It's a beautiful pub and the painting communicates what we do.
'It was meant to be eye-catching and a bit of fun while respecting the heritage of the building. It's an impressive structure.
'It's historic but a lot of people think we're just a big house which can be confusing for people.
'We feel it's a mural that works in line with the era of the heritage. We take the heritage very seriously.
'The council just said "it's not acceptable".
'We get a lot of positive comments from people in the pub, you get people stopping and taking pictures with it.'
The former aircraft mechanic went on to tell the publication that he believed the council was alerted by a single villager who didn't like the design.
He has since vowed to fight the ruling by claiming the painting was made using traditional methods.
Many locals have rallied behind Mr Peel, saying the council are 'bullies' and the mural is 'amazing'.
The artist carried out the impressive work over three days in April and Martin forked out £1,200 for the bull mural
Mr Peel, pictured, fears he'll have to paint over it in just four weeks time amid threats from the council despite praise from punters over the work
One resident said: 'Typical bully council throwing their bloody weight around. Why punish someone like Martin for doing something positive? The bull mural looks amazing and has put this place on the map."
Earlier this year, an award-winning fish and chip shop in Greenwich was ordered to remove a Union flag mural by council officials over claims it is 'inappropriate for the area'.
Chris Kanizi, 65, who owns Golden Chippy, in Greenwich, south-east London, has been told to paint over the mural of the humanoid fish on the wall of his restaurant, which has been adored by tourists.
Greenwich council said they received a 'number of complaints' about the mural, which features the phrase 'A Great British Meal', they said was an 'unauthorised advert'.
Mr Kansizi, who has been running Golden Chippy for 20 years and lives two doors down, said he doesn't believe people were complaining about the mural, which was deemed 'inappropriate' according to the Telegraph.
A spokesperson for Stratford District Council said: 'We do not comment on live enforcement cases.'
