A deal to secure a Banksy mural located on a house near GCHQ is being negotiated by a local council.
The ‘Spy Booth’ artwork, which was granted retrospective planning permission, appeared on an end-of-terrace house in Cheltenham last year and has been vandalised on a number of occasions.
An abortive attempt to remove the mural also left walls, a chimneybreast and wooden floors damaged, so the council issued a notice to the owner to fix this.
Now, however, the council is attempting to broker a deal to transfer ownership of the property into ‘safe hands’.
This will make it easier for the council to restore the property and protect the Banksy.
Cllr Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for development and safety, said: ‘It is not proposed, nor does it appear necessary, for this transfer to be at the Council’s cost, but the first task is to achieve a value for the transfer, which can be agreed by all parties.’
