An Irishwoman who commissioned an artist to paint a mural on the front of her house, has been forced to remove it by the local authority.
Homeowner Cathy McGovern was informed by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council that she needed planning permission for a mural and that it would have to be painted over.
McGovern appealed, but she was unsuccessful. According to RTÉ:
Cathy McGovern commissioned well-known street artist Solus to paint the piece ‘The boxing ballerinas of Sandycove’ on the front of her home last year and said the ballerinas were well-liked locally.
Originally Ms McGovern planned to have the ballerinas the size of the front door, but Solus was more ambitious and painted them the full two storey height of the house.
Speaking to RTÉ’s News At One programme today, she said: “It worked so brilliantly because they literally stretched to the skies and they danced off the building because they are dominant and it is a statement piece.”
Ms McGovern said that people warmed to the new look and it brought about excitement and happiness.
“There was just a net of support and excitement and joy. It was one of the brilliant things about the project, so I would never regret doing it, because it gave so many people so much happiness.”
However, the excitement and joy were short-lived as Ms McGovern received a letter from her local authority, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, informing her that it had been brought to their attention that a mural had been painted on her house and they were investigating the matter.
“They quoted a bye-law in planning that said that a mural needed permission so at that point I knew that I had the option to apply for retention which is what I did.”
Her request to keep the mural on the front of her home was refused by the council and she subsequently appealed to An Bord Pleanála who upheld the local authority’s decision.
The case raises questions over how public art displayed on domestic settings is dealt with.
Ms McGovern explained that there is “no pertaining regulation for public art on a private property” and a piece of legislation, that is non relevant to her circumstances, was found and applied to her case.
She was left with no other option but to remove the mural which she said made her very sad.
Of course she had other options. She could have ignored the local authority and refused to paint over it.
She could have warned them that anyone who attempted to remove the mural would be trespassing on private property.
She could have employed a security firm and put a couple of guard dogs out front. That’s exactly what I would do.
Sadly though, most people just give in to tyranny.
That’s why we are where we are now.
