Council to consider enforcement notice requiring demolished pub to be rebuilt

The planning applications committee at Westminster City Council will next week (5 May) consider issuing an enforcement notice requiring a developer within 18 months to rebuild a pub that it demolished.

The Carlton Tavern Public House was demolished without notice on 8 April in breach of planning control.

The background paper to the planning committee’s meeting said that before the pub was demolished, an application for prior approval for the method of demolition and a formal request as to whether the building had been ‘nominated’ as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) should have been submitted to the council.

It added that demolition should not have proceeded for 56 days following the date of the formal request, during which time consideration could be given to nomination of the Carlton Tavern as an ACV.

Issuing of the enforcement notice will be subject to prior receipt of confirmation from the Culture Secretary that, had a formal recommendation to list the building at The Carlton Tavern as it stood immediately prior to its demolition on 8 April as a building of special architectural or historic interest been received from Historic England, the building would have been added to the List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest.

John Walker, Director of Planning at Westminster City Council, said: “There is a paper going to planning committee next week. Obviously, we cannot pre-empt any decision, but this shows how important the issue is to local residents and the council, and officers have worked hard to bring this to the committee as quickly as possible.

“We are still liaising with Historic England and DCMS and the advice provided by them will help to determine the final course of action."

On 13 January Westminster refused an application for planning permission to demolish the pub and to redevelop the site with a building comprising a public house at ground floor and basement level with 10 flats above.