Some of the people who own houses in my area have started hacking off the painted cement and brought the houses back to plain brick. Even some of the ones who had murals painted on them for Upfest (mentioned in the article), it seems a more conservative feel has started taking over. I think it’s sad to see the colours disappearing.
It's been a vibrant alternative town, but from what I understand, this made it desirable to more and more people moved in, especially as London (and I guess Brighton) became completely out of reach for most people on normal incomes. What follows is probably a more conservative, less colourful mindset...
Honestly though the bright colours are mostly on the highly visible houses on hillsides, as soon as you get into the thick of the houses, even up in fancy Clifton it all turns a lot less colourful for 99%. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I think people just like having their house as part of the view, and contribute their little bit, just so they can say "I'm the pink one on the end" - I would :D