The Scotsman

Visitors to our flat on the fringes of the New Town always admire Edinburgh's beauty but often add, cautiously: "But isn't a bit grim?" The answer is yes. The majestic architecture of the New Town enshrines an early experiment in urban planning and on clear days offers heaven-sent views down to the Forth. But in winter the blackened stone and dark grey cobbled streets are downright depressing. Isn't it time to give the place a lick of paint? A few well-chosen washable colours would surely lighten and liven up the heart of the Scotland's capital, and make best use of the low winter sun. In Ayrshire, near Largs, a team of Brazilian graffiti artists are currently covering the turrets and towers of a 13th-century Scottish castle in colourful graffiti. What a bold idea! But in Edinburgh's New Town, there's a virtual ban on colour of any kind, as "cashmere queen" Belinda Robertson famously discovered after painting her shopfront... grey.