A patriotic landlord is set to lose his appeal to keep a giant St George’s cross on the front of his pub.
Jerry Kunkler painted his Moonrakers Inn in Pewsey, Wiltshire, red and white a decade ago to cheer on England during the 2016 European Championships.
It has remained there without any issues until a year ago, when it was understood that a visitor from London staying at an Airbnb in the area moaned to the council.
The complaint is reported to have stated that the 17th-century pub looked like ‘the headquarters of the National Front’.
Because the pub is a Grade II listed 17th-century building, Mr Kunkler had to apply for planning permission in order to keep the 20ftx20ft red cross.
Several people objected to the application, including one person who said it was ‘racist’ and it sent out an ‘anti-migrant’ message.
Now planners at Wiltshire Council have come back with their recommendation that the application should be refused and the red paint be removed.
If Mr Kunkler does not comply, then officials have recommended that the local authority’s enforcement team should issue a formal notice.
If he ignores the legal notice, then he risks criminal charges.
The matter will go before Wiltshire Council’s planning committee next week, where refusal is likely to be voted through.
Mr Kunkler, who is himself a Conservative councillor on Wiltshire Council, denied his St George’s cross was a racist symbol and said his pub is merely an England-supporting sports bar.
He said: ‘The recommendation is to be expected. Because I am a councillor I will not be allowed to speak at the meeting, but my manager will read out a statement.
‘It has been painted like that for ten years because we are a sports bar and like to support England for World Cups, the Euros, the Six Nations and women’s rugby.
‘Nobody has ever kicked off about it until somebody made a complaint about it last year.
‘It has been suggested that if I wanted to show support for England I should put up flags. But they would look untidy and I would still have to get planning permission for the flag poles.’
While council planning officer Pippa Card acknowledged objectors’ concerns about the cross’s ‘presumed association with other organisations’ and that it ‘lowered the tone of area’, ultimately it was the pub’s listed building status she based her decision on.
She stated that the red cross ‘fails to preserve the special interest’ of the building and the striped colour scheme ‘is not considered an appropriate or traditional form of decoration’ for it.
She added it caused ‘visual harm to the special architectural character and historic interest of the early 19th century façade’.
Jayne Manley, a local parish councillor and environmentalist, was one of those people who objected.
She said the St George’s Cross prominently displayed on public buildings was seen by some people to be an ‘anti-migrant’ message.
She quoted a recent poll in which 52 per cent of ethnic minority adults consider the flag to have become a racist symbol.
And she questioned whether it aligned with the rural village’s vision of being an open and inclusive community.
She wrote: ‘In this specific case, it appears that images of the pub facade have already been shared and circulated within political campaigning contexts, beyond the village.
‘This demonstrates the symbol is no longer confined to a local or sporting interpretation and has entered a broader political narrative.
‘Given Pewsey’s and Wiltshire’s commitment to inclusivity and community cohesion, there is a legitimate concern that such symbolism may cause some individuals to feel uncomfortable, excluded, or misrepresented.’
Addressing the objection raised by Ms Manley, Mr Kunkler said: ‘There is no way this is racism. A lot of people I know are of different ethnic backgrounds.
‘There is an Indian restaurant in Pewsey and they fly the Bandgladeshi flag from it with pride.
‘That is what I am doing.’
Other objectors to the St George’s Cross said it had no place on a protected listed building.
Elizabeth Strutt said: ‘The reason for listing buildings is to preserve structures that are of special architectural or historic interest.
‘This building historically did not have a cross painted on it at the time of listing and it detracts from the nature of the facade.
‘If I, as an owner of a listed house in the same conservation area, were to paint a cross on the outside of my house I have no doubt that the council would take a very dim view.’
