By Ted JeoryA CHINESE takeaway has cooked up a storm - over its new purple-and-orange colour scheme.The Dragon House Chinese takeaway used to be a plain-looking building in South Street in Manningtree.

By Ted Jeory

A CHINESE takeaway has cooked up a storm - over its new purple-and-orange colour scheme.

The Dragon House Chinese takeaway used to be a plain-looking building in South Street in Manningtree.

But then its owners decided to revamp the listed two-storey takeaway with a bold purple-and-orange colour scheme.

However, town councillors discovered no planning application had been made for the painting and they complained to Tendring District Council.

Now district council planning officers have told the Dragon House's owner, Alan Ngai, to make a retrospective application for planning permission.

A Tendring District Council spokesman said: “Because it is a listed building, any change to the exterior colours needs listed building consent, which it does not have.

“We visited the premises on June 22 and gave the owners 21 days to make a retrospective application.”

While some residents believe the new look adds colour to the street, others think the style sticks out somewhat in the conservative area.

One resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I think it's a hideous combination of colours, but that's just my personal choice.

“I'm glad to hear it's going through the proper planning regulation channels now. If you allow things like to go through, Manningtree could go downhill quickly.

But Jason Charlesworth, of South Street, disagreed and felt there was nothing wrong with the colour scheme. “I think it's just certain people making noises - it's pretty harmless really,” he said.

Mr Ngai was not available for comment yesterday.

ted.jeory@eadt.co.uk