Developer forced to rebuild demolished pub - exactly as it was

Developers who demolished a London pub without permission, have been told they have to rebuild it exactly as it was. They were hoping to replace the pub with swanky flats - but the council has thrown an unusual spanner in the works.

The BBC reported that the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale was built in the 1920s. It was the only building in the immediate area to have survived WW2 bombing, and at the time it was pulled down, it was being considered for listed status.

The Metro reported that the pub's owners told staff to stay at home on 8 April, because they were doing a stocktake. In fact, they took a bulldozer to the pub, and reduced it to rubble. They didn't even bother to empty it first, so personal belongings, furniture and expensive TVs were all flattened in the demolition.

The move came as a shock to locals and the authorities alike. The BBC said that councillors had received a flood of calls from locals demanding that the pub be reinstated, and had been lobbying hard for serious action to be taken against the developers.
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Why?

Back in January, the developers had submitted a planning application to knock the pub down, and replace it with another pub and some swanky flats. The council recommended it be approved, but it was rejected on the grounds it was too bulky, too tall, and the design did not suit the area.

The refusal of the application was not through any desire to keep the pub at the time, because the historical significance of the building was not widely known. However, as a result of the application, one councillor applied for the building to be listed by English Heritage.

Had the developers followed the rules, they would have had to apply for planning permission to demolish the pub. While the council were deliberating (which takes longer when the building in question is a pub), English Heritage would have informed them whether or not it would be listed - significantly altering the development potential of the pub. The council said there would have been a real possibility that the pub would be listed.

Rebuild

By demolishing the property, the developer may have thought they avoided the risk of it being listed and their hands being tied. However, Westminster Council was unimpressed. Council papers have been released that show the council ordered the developers to rebuild it exactly how it was - or as they put it: "recreate in facsimile the building as it stood immediately prior to its demolition." The order should be approved on Tuesday.

If this goes ahead, it will be a particularly unusual move. The Council insisted that it had been done before - notably when a John Nash building was ordered to be rebuilt exactly as before in the 1960s, after wartime bomb damage, and a house in Soho which planners insisted be rebuilt exactly the same after a devastating fire.

It may also act as a deterrent to any developers who consider this kind of move again. But what do you think? Is this the right result, or are we too obsessed with old buildings in Britain? Let us know in the comments.

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