'I'll hold out as long as I can': Fish and chip shop told to paint over beloved Union Jack mural by killjoy council

17 March 2024, 19:38 | Updated: 18 March 2024, 09:51

A London fish and chip shop has been ordered to remove a mural declaring the food staple "A Great British Meal" for not being in keeping with the area.

The Union Jack mural near Golden Chippy has been declared out of keeping by Greenwich Council - and owner Chris Kanizi has been order to paint over it.

The Greenwich restaurant was declared London's best chippy in 2016 by TripAdvisor - leading to it become a hotspot for tourists and locals alike.

Mr Kanizi is being forced to remove the humanoid fish painting - but it is not his first tussle with Greenwich councillors.

The £250 painting, which is just a month old, has given the chippy a new social media presence because of its selfie-worthy visage.

Cypriot immigrant Mr Kanizi was forced to remove a similar sign just seven years ago - with a very similar design being painted as 17 feet tall above his door.

A two-year battle with the local authority ensued which resulted in a 3000-signature petition failing to stop the council getting their way.

Mr Kanizi told the Telegraph: "It’s just something to put a smile on people’s faces.

“But the council said “this is a preservation area – you can’t have that and you’ve got to paint over it.

"They also said people had been complaining, but I don’t believe that. Everyone who has talked to me say they love it”.

“I’m going to stick it out for as long as I can,” he said.

“They haven’t given me a date to paint over it yet, but they will.

“I’ve got so many international customers. They all like taking a photo with the mural in the background.”

A Greenwich council spokesman said: “Following a number of complaints made to local ward councillors, an enforcement case was raised about the mural in question.

“Our Planning Enforcement team is investigating this as it is effectively an unauthorised advert for the chip shop. The owner has agreed to paint over it.

“We will always try to negotiate with the owner before proceeding to a formal planning enforcement notice.”