Indeed, it was far from love at first sight for some of the members of the planning committee considering the submission last Tuesday.

Coun Anne Dorrian said: "I think this is a dreadful design.

"I do not think it enhances the Municipal Buildings at all."

"It's one of the ugliest buildings I have seen in a long time," she added.

A similar proposal for the vacant site next door to Pizza Hut had been submitted earlier this year, but was later withdrawn in order to develop a better frontage.

The makeover, however, failed to impress some.

Coun Alison Austin said: "I am disappointed. I had hoped after what we looked at a month or two back we were going to see something much better than this."

"It's a total mismatch really. It's not in keeping with Pizza Hut either."

And yet the redesign came with the backing of the architect behind the forthcoming Merchant's Quay development, and while officers described it as 'bland' and 'not to everyone's taste', they said it successfully disguised the fact that the unit will have just one occupier – namely, Wickes.

Coun John Grant gave support. He said: "I do not have a problem with it. It's not in keeping, but if you look at Pizza Hut, it works. Sometimes you have got to take a leap forward and have something different."

Despite opposition from the Boston Preservation Trust, there was stronger support still for the design from chairman Coun Richard Dungworth, who felt it managed to reconcile the differences between Pizza Hut and the Municipal Buildings.

He said: "If you are looking down West Street you can see there are different styles, heights and colours, so I don't think this is going to be out of keeping."

The submission was approved by 11 votes to none, with one abstention.