Outcry over plans to bulldoze ‘community pub’ London Tavern to build luxury flats

At risk: London Tavern. Photograph: Google Streetview

Residents have poured cold water on plans to tear down a 150-year-old Clapton pub and build luxury flats in its place.

The owner wants to replace the London Tavern on Rendlesham Road with a five storey “clean and contemporary” development, with commercial space downstairs and nine “high end” flats above, including a rooftop penthouse.

But objections are rolling in from residents who want to protect the Victorian corner-shaped pub, which has served up pints since 1866.

Tavern regular Catherine Maguire lives opposite the London Tavern and has sent her complaints to the council.

“The proposed development is a grey, soulless design, of an excessive scale and height, totally incompatible with the surrounding area – no substitute for the quirky 150-year-old building it would replace,” she said. “Clapton has enough shops – local businesses that I wouldn’t want to be driven out by a supermarket – and we certainly don’t need another betting shop!”

Heritage: London Tavern circa 1940. Photograph: Charrington Surveyors

“The London Tavern serves a different community to other pubs,” she added.”It provides for wakes and christenings celebrated at the neighbouring church and has important links to the Irish and Traveller communities. It really is a community asset.

For now the pub remains open, with its 10 bedists above it.

Nick Perry of campaign group The Hackney Society said: “The London Tavern is the very definition of a community pub, and important street landmark. The developer makes no bones about his ambition to replace this fine corner building with ‘high-end’ flats and an unspecified commercial unit.

“While the flats are certainly going to provide better accommodation than the ten bedsits shoehorned above the pub currently, neither the flats nor any replacement bar have any pretensions to serve the same local community.”

In 2011 the council threw out an application to extend and transform the existing pub building into flats and office space. Planning officers said losing the pub “would result in a detrimental impact on the accessibility of services” and “fail to support a lifetime neighbourhood.”

Hackney Council’s consultation on the plans will run until 18 February.