Chesham Arms campaigners upbeat despite postponement of verdict

Defiant: Save the Chesham Arms campaigners outside the Hackney Picturehouse. Photograph: James Watson

The public inquiry into the future of much-loved local pub, the Chesham Arms, which took place at the Hackney Picturehouse this week, has been adjourned until September.

The inquiry is examining whether the new owner of the Chesham Arms site has broken planning laws by putting up two walls inside the pub and turning it into offices and a flat.

Mukund Patel, who bought the pub on Mehetabel Road in October 2012, did not attend the inquiry. He was represented by his agent Tony Allen and his lawyer.

Also present were representatives from Hackney Council and from the Churchwell Residents Group – the driving force behind the Save the Chesham Arms campaign who were given a formal role in the inquiry.

Despite the inquiry sitting for two full days, there was not time to hear the closing statements and the inspector was forced to adjourn the hearing to 10 September.

Patel tried to rent the upstairs of the building out as a flat without planning permission despite Hackney Council informing him it was required.

His agent, Tony Allen, said that upstairs had always been a flat but the Council and residents argued that this was because the Chesham Arms landlords lived there.

The only entrance to upstairs is behind the bar, a situation Allen said was “unusual” for a self-contained flat “but not unacceptable as long as it could be accessed 24/7.”

Patel’s lawyers argued that “a perfectly good flat” would be lost if the upstairs was not rented out. However the campaigners argued that a separate flat would be unworkable and make the return of their “much-loved local pub” impossible.

Allen argued that pubs should be situated in town centres and that there were plenty of pubs in the vicinity.

Martyn Williams, of the Churchill Residents Group, said that there were only two pubs in the local area: the Pembury Tavern and Tommy Flynn’s. Williams added that residents were concerned that creating a flat upstairs was a stepping stone to turning the whole pub into flats.

Allen admitted that neither he nor Patel had ever operated a pub and that they originally planned to turn the building into flats before realising that planning law made that difficult.

James Watson, of the Save the Chesham Arms campaign, said the inspector had been “nodding and smiling at the right places” and that he “had a good feeling about the outcome”.

Nick Perry, of the Hackney Society, said it was a “testament to community action” that Patel’s actions had been spotted and challenged so quickly.