Goodmayes pub saved from demolition as developers pull out of application
Demolition application withdrawn on Lord Napier pub. - Credit: Archant
An application to demolish a Goodmayes pub from the 1870s has been withdrawn by developers after residents campaigned to save the premises which has “significant historical value”.
The Lord Napier Pub before it closed in May. - Credit: Archant
The Lord Napier pub, in Green Lane, has been closed since May and campaigners have been working ever since to ensure it stays as a pub.
A demolition notice was first placed on the building on June 17 but developer, Lord Homes Limited, withdrew the application last week.
They have since applied for planning permission to re-roof the nineteenth century pub and upgrade the insulation, which is awaiting approval by Redbridge Council.
Morag McCall, who has been leading the campaign for the past two months, said: “The withdrawal of the demolition application is a success however I am anxious to find out what the developers intentions for the building are.
“When I drove past on Tuesday the roof had been taken off and the windows were smashed in, leaving the premises exposed to the elements.”
According to Miss McCall, the pub was regularly used as a venue for live music which is rare after The Cauliflower, High Road, Ilford, closed in May.
Most Read
- 1 Ilford fast food restaurant permitted to open later
- 2 Convicted killer 'attacked sister-in-law after repeated threats', court hears
- 3 Item thrown from A13 bridge smashes windscreen and injures driver
- 4 Newbury Park grass fire sees homes evacuated
- 5 Pair charged with creating fake Covid vaccination records
- 6 Fairlop man locked up for rabbi assault
- 7 Community opposition to Hainault bank closure
- 8 Hammers stars surprise hospital patients and staff
- 9 Five tower blocks included in housing plans for Sainsbury's in Ilford
- 10 Jailed: Ilford fraudster involved in £13m Ponzi scheme through property fraud
She said: “Campaigners are worried the pub is going to fall into a state of neglect. The venue is an important community facility offering something for all sections of society.
“People will have to travel quite some way to find something similar and the loss of the family fun days and the safe environment that the pub offered, will be a big loss.”
Supporter of the campaign, Paul Scott, of Sandhurst Drive, Goodmayes, said: “I have been a regular at The Lord Napier for the last five or six years, and want to see it taken over as a community pub. The public support for this campaign has been overwhelming.
“It is part of the fabric of the area and has significant historical value after being built around 1872.”
