District council demands town councillor take down VW Beetle mural that calls for motorists to slow down

A town councillor has been told to remove a mural on the side of her house which warns motorists to slow down in a busy street in Bideford.

Kaye Corfe, a member of Bideford Town Council, said she had the mural of a Volkswagen ‘Beetle’ with the words “kill your speed” painted to improve road safety.

But Torridge District Council ruled it was unauthorised, would distract drivers and has demanded its removal.

Pete Watson, lead member for planning, said: “While we may have some sympathy with the sentiment and message behind the mural we have to treat this at face value and clearly there is a potential for motorists to be distracted by such a large and colourful installation at this junction.

“Devon Highways have indicated that they also support this view and not withstanding all of this the mural is essentially a form of advertising that requires planning permission.

“For these reasons officers have no other option but to issue a notice for removal pending any further challenge or application for planning permission."

Mark Smulian