A hair salon will reluctantly change its colours this weekend after being ordered to repaint by the city council.

Eastern Daily Press: Owners of Standenmay hair Salon, in Magdalen Street, Norwich, are in dispute with Norwich City Council about the colour of their building.Picture: ANTONY KELLYOwners of Standenmay hair Salon, in Magdalen Street, Norwich, are in dispute with Norwich City Council about the colour of their building.Picture: ANTONY KELLY (Image: Archant Norfolk 2018)

StandenMay hair salon, on Magdalen Street in Norwich, opened in 2017, moving into the property previously occupied by fellow hairdressers The Egg.

On moving in, owners Paul and Callum Standen-May decided to give the building a new look, with a fresh coat of paint. However, the colour they chose - downpipe grey - left them at loggerheads with Norwich City Council.

It later emerged that this particular hue was not on the approved list of colours for a listed building to be painted - which the hair salon is.

The salon was granted retrospective planning permission to repaint the building in one of the approved colours - cornforth white - in December 2017 and was given three years to complete the works.

Eastern Daily Press: A colour chart showing the 33 colours listed buildings in Norwich can be painted. Picture: Norwich City CouncilA colour chart showing the 33 colours listed buildings in Norwich can be painted. Picture: Norwich City Council (Image: Norwich City Council)

However, despite this deadline, the city council opted to take enforcement action against the salon and set a deadline of May 8, 2019 to complete the works.

This task is now set to be completed on Sunday, May 5, with the salon enlisting Prime Finish and scaffolders Torque to do the deed.

Ellie Denny, salon manager at StandenMay, said it would be with a heavy heart that the business parted with its former colour.

She said: 'We have received an overwhelming amount of support and well wishes from people over the whole situation, but we just haven't had the time or the resources to really fight the council over it.

'It really is a shame that we have had to fork out to repaint our building when there are others in the city rundown and empty. We simply tried to improve the area which is surely something the council should be supporting.'

Miss Denny added that the painting would coincide with the second anniversary of the salon's re-opening.

She added: 'We are not worried about losing our identity and hopefully it will give us a fresh feel, but it is frustrating.'

Previously, the city council had said it only took enforcement action as a last resort, and that officers had been in regular contact with the salon throughout the process.