THE landmark building of a major seaside planning scheme has got the blues over its colour choice, despite a ‘50 shades of grey’ plea.

A dispute over the preferred shade of blue for Saunderfoot harbour’s new Marine Centre of Excellence – currently under construction - was put before National Park planners on Wednesday.

Saundersfoot Harbour Commission, in agreement with the Welsh Government, had planned to have the external rendering of the building, on the end of the harbour, painted in a darker blue.

But Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority called for a lighter shade.

“It is this disagreement that has caused officers, exceptionally, to bring the matter to committee,” the authority’s May 1development management committee was told in a report.

Members were recommended to vote against discharging a condition in the planning application relating to the rendering; refusing the option for the darker blue (RAL 5015) in favour of lighter blue (RAL 5024).

The building is part of the multi-million Saundersfoot Harbour regeneration scheme that aims to make the destination ‘the marine gateway to Wales’.

The Trust Port of Saundersfoot’s chairman, Philip Evans, has told the authority’s director of park direction that he would “greatly appreciate” National Park co-operation over the darker blue colour choice.

He commented that the colour selected was “part of a very sophisticated and well-researched branding process”, chosen and approved by the harbour commissioners and the Wales Government as “a true reflection of the ocean element of the whole scheme”.

The “conservation compliant colour” of the lighter blue was not relevant to the branding strategy, he added.

Officers have suggested that the darker blue colour is used on the sail and other smaller details throughout the whole of the regeneration scheme.

Although they agreed that the masonry element of the building was less than its stone and wood cladding, they felt that darker colouring skyward would be “inappropriate for the architecture and visually detrimental to the excellent and sympathetic design and other materials of the building.”

The report pointed out that on the Saundersfoot Harbour Commission website, the building is actually shown in a lighter colour.

It concluded: “So officers have taken comfort that they appear not the only ones with the suggestion of what would be an appropriate shade/tone of blue.”

Speaking at the meeting as applicant, Michael Davies stressed the importance of the vibrant hue for marketing purposes.

Committee member Julie James said: “This is an iconic development, it would be a great shame to refuse it, I believe."

Referencing a controversial work of erotica, she added: “However, just as there are ‘50 shades of grey,’ there are 50 shades of blue,” adding she hoped a compromise somewhere between the applicant’s choice and the officers’ be adopted.

Members, after carefully consulting colour swatches, agreed to refuse the application for a darker blue.