Rotherhithe residents are horrified that the “lovely” China Hall pub is set to become “generic soulless flats”.
Isle of Man-based developer Hamna Wakaf has submitted an application to turn the 300-year-old pub into residential units.
In 2021, Hamna Wakaf got permission to retain and extend the Lower Road pub on the ground floor to accommodate new flats on top.
Rotherhithe: permission given for historic China Hall pub extension and flats
But this latest application, set to be determined in February, proposes scrapping the pub altogether and making the ground floor residential-use.
According to a report by chartered surveyors Jenkins Law, the developer has tried to get publicans to buy the lease without success.
The report says: “Interested parties… who did provide feedback felt that the pitch was very quiet from a trading point of view as there was limited footfall activity.
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“Another issue is competition and an over supply of existing public houses in this location. There is The Surrey Docks (Wetherspoons), The Yellow House, Whelan’s and the Farriers Arms which are all well established and closer to Surrey Quays station.
“Ultimately interested parties felt the location could not support another public house.”
But local residents and campaigners have hit back, arguing that the planned repositioning of the Surrey Quays Station entrance will increase footfall.
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has urged the developer to “provide details on whether they have reduced the asking rent since the original marketing effort was undertaken”.
This Borough pub has now closed after over 200 years of serving the community
The south east London branch of CAMRA wrote: “In our view the applicant has in no way demonstrated that a pub cannot be viable on this site – on the contrary the pub was previously a well used and valued community hub, as demonstrated by the fact it was designated an asset of community value.
“Given the location is a stone’s throw away from a local shopping centre, overground station, bus/underground station and is surrounded by residential accommodation (soon to be significantly more so) we consider that the right operator could run a successful pub at this location by offering a proposition different to the nearby Wetherspoon and handful of mainly wet-lead [sic] pubs.”
Objectors have also said that Transport for London’s plans to reposition the Surrey Quays Overground entrance to the China Hall side of Lower road will increase local footfall.
One objector wrote: “It was a lovely pub. There are so many other plots currently planned for housing development, we need to keep premises to retain history and character of the area.”
Another wrote online: “Far too many pubs in the borough are being closed down and erased, [and] become almost invariably generic soulless flats.”
Andco Corporate Services Ltd, which operates as an agent for Hamna Wakaf, has been approached for comment.