A council has faced criticism after two railway bridges at East Putney tube station were repainted in bright colours as part of a £600,000 upgrade and pigeon-proofing project.
The work, completed in May under the council's previous administration, involved painting the structures in a vivid blue and yellow palette that residents have likened to retail branding.
Local homeowners have described the colour scheme as "garish" and out of character with the surrounding area, noting that the previous muted red tone better suited the neighbourhood.
One resident said the redesign has become a running joke among locals, who now refer to the site as the "IKEA bridge" due to its striking appearance.
Council officers confirmed the bridges, owned by Network Rail and Transport for London, were repainted to a specification recommended by the local authority and approved by a former councillor.
No formal public consultation was held, as the work was classified as capital maintenance and therefore not legally required to involve resident input.
A current cabinet member acknowledged the cleaning and repainting were welcome but said the brightness was not in keeping with the area and that a single councillor should not have determined the colour scheme alone.
He argued that consulting local residents could have produced a design more aligned with community preferences and less contentious.
In response to complaints, a senior transport planner stated there were no plans to revise the design, describing the number of negative comments as relatively few given the volume of residents and commuters using the station.
The council confirmed the total project cost was £600,000 and that the work was finished in May.
