Porcupine pub closure: council refuses to rubberstamp demolition

The decision means new owner Lidl, which bought the Mottingham pub from Enterprise Inns in March, will now have to seek prior approval before demolition works can begin on the site.

The Council now has until 24 June to examine whether the supermarket chain’s proposed method of demolition and restoration is acceptable.

Local MP and former community pubs minister Bob Neill, who is spearheading the campaign group, said: “Lidl may want to demolish first and ask questions later, but that is an incredibly irresponsible approach and our council is right not to tolerate it.”

He added: “This is by no means the end of our campaign and we must continue to explore every means of rescuing the Porcupine and winning back the heart of Mottingham village” 

Earlier this month, Neill joined current pubs minister Brandon Lewis and almost 200 residents in a protest outside the Porcupine. He also raised the issue in a House of Commons debate.

Campaigners still hope to get the pub listed as an asset of community value (ACV), which can be treated as ‘material consideration’ in planning purposes. In addition, Neill is pushing for an Article 4 direction, which prevents pubs being turned into supermarkets.

In the last two years, only two local planning authorities have made directions under Article 4 seeking to control development of pubs.

In its assessment of the Porcupine site, the council concluded: “No permission exists for a replacement building, and given the prominent location of the site, the proximity of nearby residential properties and the relationship of the site with the highway network… it is necessary that the prior approval of the Council for the method of demolition and restoration be required.”