Residents in south London have criticised Wandsworth Council for a "garish" paint job on a railway bridge at East Putney Tube station, comparing its vivid blue and yellow colours to Swedish furniture brand IKEA. The bridge, which had faded over time, was repainted as part of a £600,000 project that also included pigeon-proofing and upgrades to two railway bridges.
Local resident calls colours 'out of character'
Emma, a 38-year-old local resident who has lived in the area for eight years, described the bright colours as "out of character" with the surrounding area. "I just think it's a bit of a shame they've gone for this garish colour palette that's not in keeping with the surrounding area," she said.
Conservative ward councillor for East Putney, George Crivelli, also expressed dissatisfaction. "I think it's a bit too bright, and not in keeping with the local area. My main concern about it was that, in effect, one councillor has decided the colour scheme on it," he stated. He added: "I'm very pleased to see the bridge being repainted, and I'm very pleased to see it being cleaned up, but a lot of people think it's a bit garish, and I have to say I'm inclined to agree on that. People call it the IKEA bridge, I've heard people say it looks like an IKEA bridge."
Council defends paint job as capital maintenance
The bridges are owned by Network Rail and Transport for London. The repainting was carried out in line with the council's conditions and approved by former Labour councillor Finna Ayres. The council stated there was no consultation process on the painting scheme because it was deemed "capital maintenance" and therefore not required. A senior transport planner at the council reportedly insisted there are no plans to revise the paint job, with negative comments said to be "relatively few given the very large numbers of local residents and station users."
A Wandsworth Council spokesman confirmed: "The cost was £600,000 and the project was completed in May 2026." The repainting took place in March under the council's previous Labour leadership, before the May elections when the party lost overall control, as reported by MyLondon.
