The owners of a Blairgowrie tattoo studio could be forced to tear down their colourful shop front display after the threat of legal action from council chiefs.
Hammer Gods Tattoos has been slapped with an enforcement order, demanding that its prominent blue, white and purple sign is removed .
The local authority says that the presence of the board is “an offence” because it was put up at the Wellmeadow property without listed building consent.
Business owners Morag and Derrick Young appealed to Scottish ministers and urged them to overturn the ruling.
However, rhe Scottish Government appeals department has upheld the notice.
Mr and Mrs Young declined to comment, but said negotiations were ongoing with the local authority.
During the appeal process, Mrs Young said the couple had struggled to establish the main reason for the council’s rejection.
She said that a planning officer had suggested changing the font style and using lower case letters because the current design “made the sign appear as if it was shouting”.
Mrs Young wrote: “As far as we are aware, there is no restriction on font type and would suggest that this is a matter of personal preference and, thereby, unenforceable.”
She added: “Due to Blairgowrie’s eclectic mix of shops, there is a wide range of font types used, some more stylised than others, but all in keeping with the type of business and business name they represent.
“I would suggest that our customised Norse font is no different.”
The couple have been told that if they fail to remove the sign they face a fine of up to £20,000 but Mrs Young hopes to find “common ground” with the council.
In his findings, explaining why he rejected the appeal, Scottish Government reporter David Bullya said: “I am not satisfied with the overall appearance of the sign due to the modern materials used and its entirely flat appearance.”
Mr Bullya was also of the opinion that the sign’s lettering was “excessively large.”
Perth and Kinross Council said that the sign had a “detrimental impact” on the B-listed building.
A spokeswoman declined to comment further.
Picture by Phil Hannah