A Labour-run council has sparked fury among residents after splashing £18,000 of public money on a controversial mural – without securing planning permission.
But the piece – inspired by John Keats’s famous poem of the same name – has been slammed by locals as a ‘hideous’ blot on the landscape, with critics branding it a waste of taxpayers’ money at a time when the council is closing down seven libraries across the borough to save cash.
The mural, by artist Albert Agwa, now faces an uncertain future after it emerged that planning permission should have been sought beforehand due to the library being located in a conservation area. The council has since submitted a retrospective application.
Chris Dey, a Conservative councillor in Enfield, has launched a petition to have the mural removed.
Blasting the council’s priorities, he said: ‘What message is the council sending out?’
He added: ‘Spending £18,000 of public money on a ‘hideous’ mural when the council was closing libraries was ludicrous.’
In his petition, Cllr Dey writes: ‘Enfield’s architectural gem, the Enfield Town library, stands as a testament to award-winning design and thoughtful construction.
‘Unfortunately, this has been overshadowed by the addition of a mural that many residents, myself included, find deeply unsettling.’
Highlighting the site’s protected status, he added: ‘Any modifications to buildings within this area should undergo rigorous scrutiny to ensure they uphold, rather than undermine, our community’s heritage.’
Despite local outrage, the council defended the mural in planning documents, claiming it brings ‘visual interest and cultural identity to an otherwise blank elevation’.
But it also admitted that ‘the brickwork was not originally intended for murals and may be vulnerable to moisture penetration, surface cracking and UV exposure’.
Keats, one of the country’s most celebrated Romantic poets, was educated at Clarke’s Academy in Enfield and is said to have drawn inspiration from the surrounding countryside.
Enfield Council said the mural was funded through the community infrastructure levy (CIL) – a pot of money paid by developers that is ring-fenced for community and public space improvements and ‘cannot be spent on other council services’.
A council spokesperson added: ‘The budget covers artist fees, materials, installation, community workshops, training for an emerging local artist, and ongoing maintenance.
‘Before starting the work, we consulted our property and library teams for permission and held public events to hear residents’ views.
‘The design was chosen to be sensitive to local heritage and to reflect themes that matter to the community.’