THE Theatre Royal has been the subject of controversy following an anonymous complaint about its frontage being redecorated for Pride.

The pillars of the grade-I listed building, which first opened in 1807, were recently painted in rainbow colours by the theatre in preparation for Pride Weekend, attracting the ire of a complainant who argued it was not in character with the rest of the building.

However, members of the public were largely supportive of the theatre’s actions.

Stuart Lee, 39, of Sudeley Street, who works at the Royal, said he thought that the redecoration of the pillars was a great move.

He said: "The building is a pillar of the community and a big part of the city centre.

"It's important to the character of the LGBT community, as many of the people involved in theatre come from that background.

"At the end of the day it’s just paint, and it's only here for Pride - if it's a big issue someone can redecorate it afterwards."

Zoe Dunnet, 41, a support worker from Blackman Street, said that at first she had not even noticed the pillars had been repainted.

"It perfectly captures the artistic spirit of Brighton, and it suits the atmosphere of the place.

"There are worse things to worry about than a bit of colour."

Last year’s Pride event was attended by over 400,000 people, with a similar turnout anticipated for next weekend.

When contacted for comment on whether the theatre had sought planning permission for the repainting of the pillars, a council spokesperson said: “We have advised the Theatre Royal that, as this is a listed building, they should not have undertaken this painting without consent.

“However, we will take no further action in this instance provided the columns are restored to their previous single colour promptly after Pride weekend finishes.”