Lloydspharmacy apologises for Scandinavian artwork blunder
Lloydspharmacy has been forced to apologise to Middlesborough locals after it covered a much-loved piece of artwork in the town centre with an advertising board.
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Lloydspharmacy has been forced to apologise to Middlesbrough locals after it covered a much-loved artwork in the town centre with an advertising board. The pharmacy chain covered the colourful Scandinavian mural – installed in the 1970s on the side of a Swedish church that housed passing seamen – last month (September 29) without proper consent from the council. The multiple told C+D it was "very sorry" for the upset this had casued and it had taken the board down on Monday (October 6). Local plasterer David Tabner originally installed the mural, designed by a Swedish architect 40 years ago, and told C+D it was the only artwork "within a mile". There was no need for Lloydspharmacy to put more advertising up as they already had a "prominent position" on the street, he said. "People stopped to look at [the mural] and hopefully appreciate a bit of artwork. Don't you think [Lloyds] would want to be a part of the local community instead of against it? I don't see what they're gaining," he told C+D. Middlesbrough Council told C+D that Lloydspharmacy had not got the "advertisement consent required" to put up the board. "The company will now be required either to apply for retrospective permission or to remove the advertisement," it said. Lloydspharmacy told C+D that it had been granted consent to put up the sign by the landlord on the condition it would not interefere with the mural. However, it had "underestimated the significance of the mural being on display". "The views of the local community are incredibly important to us, and as a result of the feedback we have arranged to have the signage removed," it added.
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