Planning Inspectorate orders rebuilding of demolished pub

The Planning Inspectorate has endorsed Westminster City Council’s decision to order a developer to rebuild an unlawfully demolished pub.

A five-day inquiry in May 2016 heard developer CTLX’s appeal against an enforcement notice requiring the Carlton Tavern to be rebuilt as close to the original as possible.

Robert Davis, Westminster’s cabinet member for the built environment, said: “This decision is a just reward for the work of all the local campaigners who have fought so hard to right this wrong.“I am pleased that we have won the battle and I look forward to seeing the Carlton Tavern turned back into a thriving community pub.

“This sends a clear message to developers across the country that they cannot ride roughshod over the views of local communities.”

The Carlton was built in 1920-21 for brewer Charrington and was largely demolished in April 2015, in breach of planning laws and despite being under consideration for Grade II listed status due to its unusually well-preserved interior. Westminster secured an injunction preventing any further demolition work.

The inspector agreed it was “highly likely that it would have been listed had it not been demolished”, calling it a “rare public house”.

He noted: “I see no reason from the information available why a detailed and accurate reconstruction could not be undertaken.”

The Carlton Tavern is a designated asset of community value and the inspector said that it was the “historical association, past usage, layout of the spaces, character and appearance of the previous building that has considerable importance for the community”.
Westminster had rejected an application for redevelopment on the site in January 2015 and this rejection was also upheld by an inspector.

The bulk of the pub was then demolished with no prior warning, no approvals and no proper health and safety procedures in place, the council said.