Do you actually live here? Black buildings under a dark sky most of the year -- it gets really depressing. I am grateful for the red-stones, old limestone buildings getting cleaned, and new ones adding some color (quite a bit of yellows and whites recently, among the inevitable onslaught of glass and steel).

Yes, without going into too specific details to maintain privacy I have spent most of my life in northern industrial towns. I can see the argument for it being depressing, and I dont think they shouldn’t be cleaned at all. What I am saying is that I hope some particularly impressive buildings are kept black to maintain that character. Cleaning some would provide some variety and I have no problem with that.

I grew up thinking most of them were intended to be black, like St Peter's Square and the town hall. Seeing them cleaned was initially quite odd.

Considering the industrial heritage I'd also like to see a few preserved that way. I'm just glad I grew up after the clean air act!