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Notting Hill residents fed up with the numbers of influencers posing for photographs outside their properties are painting their colourful houses black to deter crowds.
The west London neighbourhood draws hordes of visitors thanks to its “Instagrammable” streets lined with pastel coloured houses, with residents complaining that tourists frequently take photos outside their front doors.
Now, some of the residents on a colourful street have taken matters into their own hands by painting their pink and blue properties black to deter people from taking photographs. One has applied the tactic just to their door and the lower half of their home.
They have also launched a campaign to encourage other residents with colourful houses on their street to follow their example.
In a letter sent to neighbours, the residents explained: “It’s clear that the bright and contrasting house colours are a major draw for photographs for their social media accounts.
“While we all value the charm of our street, the unintended consequence has been a surge in disruptive tourism.”
Speaking to overtourism-influencers-b1231080.html”>TheStandard, one neighbour said: “It’s really invasive overtourism for no reason at all. We are not a museum.
“It happened during lockdown. This street has always had colours, but we have never had a problem. We must have come out on some influencer list somewhere. Everybody, like sheep, followed.”
“We don’t have the facilities to cater for mass tourism. It’s just a residential street. There are homes like this all over west London. I don’t know why they come to this specific spot.”
Residents have often found people climbing on their railings for photos, while some have said people have tried to come inside their homes.
One said they have been asked by some tourists to go inside so as not to ruin their photo.
They felt “sadly obliged” to paint their home black after dealing with posers from “7am to after dark”, according to The Standard.
“We hope to go back to colour eventually,” the resident said.
“We would have loved to keep the colour of our home. We painted it [in the first place].”
Notting Hill is one of London’s most popular neighbourhoods for tourists who flock to see its Portobello Market, popular pubs and pastel-coloured houses.
While Richard Curtis’ Notting Hill film starring Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts from 1999 continues to bring crowds of tourists to the romantic movie’s key locations in the neighbourhood, residents now blame the role of social media for the surge in tourists.
Residents share stories of social media influencers bringing suitcases of outfits to take pictures on their doorsteps for the entire day, while others have set off smoke flares for their snaps and even pitch tents so they can change looks.
A resident who has lived on the street for over 20 years told The Standard: “People on the street have really struggled to rent [out their homes] because people come to their houses and see 200 people outside.
“You can not even walk down the street. You can not get past people. People tut at you and are rude if you try and get into your own house.
“I’ve even had things stolen from my car. It’s just become a nightmare… When you’re sitting in your living room it sounds like Oxford Street.”
Other residents have fixed chains and ropes to their houses to stop people using their steps for their photographs, while a ‘quiet zone’ sign asks visitors to be considerate of residents and neighbours.
Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith , deputy leader and lead member for culture of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, said: “Notting Hill is one of the most charming neighbourhoods in London, if not the country. It has a unique character with the world-famous Portobello market, brilliant local businesses, wonderful people and of course, very beautiful buildings.
“We love seeing visitors from all around the world, but we ask that they are respectful to the people who live here. Notting Hill is not only a tourist destination, it is also a community and the buildings are people’s private homes.
“Our street enforcement team patrols the borough and where any behaviour is anti-social or constitutes a nuisance and we can intervene, then we will take action.”
