Celeb hangout faces delayed re-opening
The re-opening of a pub to the stars, which was gutted by fire, has been delayed by at least two months.
Greene King pub the Hawley Arms, in Camden, North London, was due to open its doors again in September, but Camden Council has rejected an initial set of plans to rebuild the venue.
Licensee Ruth Mottram is hopeful a meeting between her and council chiefs will lead to plans being approved and the pub re-opening in December.
She told thepublican.com: "We want to sort it out with the council without going to an appeal because that takes so much time.
"Hopefully we will have an answer on what we can do in the next week or so."
The pub was a popular hangout for celebrities, including singer Amy Winehouse, before it was gutted in a fire that tore through the area in February.
Ruth was recently at Glastonbury, trying to get supporters of the pub to sign a petition asking for sympathy from Camden Council.
Meanwhile, the Peacock pub in East London has also launched a petition after its landlord Ansoll Estates submitted plans to bulldoze it and build four flats and a restaurant in its place.
So far more than 1,000 people have signed up in support of the pub.
Licensee Patsy Pyne, whose family has run the pub for more than 30 years, said: "This pub has served Stepney residents for well over 100 years. While it is a fact that 27 pubs are closing each week we now need to start saving some."
