NEW planning measures have been brought in after a woman dubbed Al Capone painted her seafront home bright pink.

Alexandra Capone, 40, painted the entire property in Marine Parade, Worthing, which used to be an RNLI lifeboat station dating back more than 140 years.

The eccentric spruce-up came after she was given an Asbo for playing loud music, getting drunk and abusing neighbours.

Locals accused Worthing Borough Council of being weak-willed for refusing to take action against Capone’s “disgusting” paint job. The house is within a conservation area but it is not listed.

However, the authority has now put its foot down and voted to introduce new measures that force homeowners to consult with planning chiefs should they want to change the colour of their home.

Worthing Borough Council told The Argus that minor developments, such as alterations to features like doors and windows, or the painting of buildings, can normally be carried out under the provisions of the General Permitted Development Order 1995 and the 2008 and 2010 GPD Amendment Orders (GDPO).However Article 4 of the GPDO gives local authorities the power to restrict such developments if they “undermined protection for the historic environment”. A council spokesman said: “Using the provisions of Article 4 of the GPDO brings certain types of development back under the control of a local planning authority, so that potentially harmful proposals can be considered on a case-by-case basis through planning applications.

“The council’s planning committee has considered and approved a report recommending proposals for introducing measures to protect the buildings along Worthing seafront from Splash Point to Heene Terrace.

“These buildings lie within three conservation areas – The Steyne, South Street and The Seafront and Hinterland.”

However, Alexandra Capone’s pink house looks set to stay. The council cannot retrospectively apply an Article 4 direction to development’s undertaken before the loophole came into force.

However a council spokesman said: “We’d like to think that through negotiations, the property’s owner might decide to paint it a less extreme colour, and one which is more in keeping with the area.”

Homeowners and businesses falling within the three areas will now be consulted on the council’s plans over the next 28 days.