The bold decision that could have cost Tequila Mockingbird diner owners THOUSANDS before a huge U-turn
A butterscotch-yellow Venezuelan restaurant in Sydney 's inner-east will be repainted after its owners were warned its new bright new paintjob could cost them a hefty fine.
The façade of Tequila Mockingbird in Paddington received the vivid yellow facelift just last month.
The restaurateurs had hoped the sunshine-tinged lick of paint over the normally dull brickwork would 'echo the vibrancy' of the cuisine they served.
But Woollahra Council took a very different view and officials ordered the owners to choose a new colour scheme for the Heeley Street eatery.
Failure to comply, they warned, would result in a $6,000 fine.
The restaurant's owners have now vowed to revert to something more neutral in a bid to avoid the costly penalty and said they never meant to cause offence.
They said the space had been designed with 'warmth, theatre and nostalgia in mind'.
'The bold yellow interiors (and exterior) echo the vibrancy of Venezuelan culture, symbolising abundance, harmony and the joy we aim to deliver with every service,' their website read.
Owner Michael Fegent said he thought the standout colour would bring warmth to the area.
'Yellow is the prominent colour of the Venezuelan flag, and I chose a colour listed as a heritage by the paint supplier,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.
He said he was unaware the paintwork would need pre-approval from the local government.
'There are lots of terrace houses in the Heritage Conservation Area with vibrant colours, including yellow – have they been issued notifications from council?' he asked.
The council have since maintained their position.
A spokesman said the colour was not 'appropriate in this location'.
'The overall colour of façades must be consistent with a building's character and to the surrounding streetscape, so in this instance the owner must repaint or they may receive a fine,' the council said.
'Council understands that businesses want to stand out, but operating in a Heritage Conservation Area like Paddington comes with responsibilities that are designed to protect and preserve the character of the area, and we appreciate that most people are doing the right thing. '
Tequila Mockingbird has now resigned itself to complying with the council's orders after the owner admitted the business had made a mistake.
But some other Paddington pubs in the past have not gone so quietly.
In 2011, ad man John Singleton co-owned the area's Bellevue Hotel and continuously repainted the building in the face of council threats.
He painted the hotel pink to support breast cancer before spraying it brown, then black. He also offered the pub's façade as a billboard for charity organisations shortly after.
He said the council was enacting 'bureaucracy gone mad', according to the Daily Telegraph at the time.
On social media, many Paddington locals were dismayed to hear the business's conspicuous colouring had been rejected by the council.
'I'm tired of all the beige and white houses (including my own) in Paddington,' one wrote.
'I long for some of the Mediterranean, bright pastels that coloured the streets for a few decades from the 1950s.
'The sunflower yellow of this local restaurant surprised me but I've grown to love it, and think it's mean of Woollahra Council to threaten a fine of $6,000.
'What are "heritage" colours? And how does William Street Paddington escape this drab rule?'
Others were equally unimpressed.
'The curse of any house – particularly Paddington-Woollahra (where I live and what I have to look at) – is the mania for "greige" (beastly non-colour mix of grey and beige),' one woman wrote.
'Agreed! The yellow is so much fun, Woollahra Council surely has better things to police,' another chimed in.
'Grew up there in the 50s and 60s, it was a league of nations with the post war migrants who painted their houses a myriad of colours, which improved the look of the row upon row of the same build of terrace houses,' a third mentioned.
'I wish Woollahra Council's attention to the built environment extended to the neglect of all the infrastructure they own including roundabouts, footpaths, gutters, parks, lanes, lighting,' another said.
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