A developer has been ordered to return a historic south London pub back to its former glory after attempting to change it into two flats before getting planning permission.
The Victorian-era China Hall in Rotherhithe closed its doors in January 2019 and in 2021 planning permission was granted for developer Hamna Wakaf to add flats to the building’s upper floor.
But they were refused a bid to convert the ground floor pub area into flats - and inspectors from Southwark Council found they had done so anyway, removing the beer lines, bar and fittings.
The building, close to Southwark Park and Surrey Quays station, must now be returned to being a pub after a planning battle by the council.
Ruling in the council’s favour, the Planning Inspectorate said the loss of a pub “without sufficient justification” breached planning rules.
The developer had argued that there was insufficient interest from buyers to maintain the building as a boozer.
But the public inquiry heard that there had been “clearly interest” to buy the pub in 2019 and 2020, and that the venue had been “full to capacity” with Millwall fans on match days.
Cllr Helen Dennis, of Southwark Council, said the decision was a “huge win” for planning officers and local community campaigners.
“I’m thrilled that such an important piece of Rotherhithe’s history and community has been protected,” she said.
“It serves as a warning that it is never acceptable for works for go ahead before a planning application has been approved.”
Michael Robertson and Steve Cornish of the China Hall Local Community Group added: “We’d like to thank council officers and their legal representatives in their outstanding energies, due diligence, and tenacious amplification of the China Hall’s cultural significance to Rotherhithe and Bermondsey.
“A legacy of which can now hopefully be enjoyed as public realm for generations to come via the pubs welcomed return.”
The site has long been associated with a pub, which took its name after a theatre also called The China Hall, which had been operated by a tea and china trader in the 1700s.
There had been a public house associated with the name ‘The China Hall’ at the location on Rotherhithe’s Lower Road for around 250 years.
