Reclaim this pub site (the Crown Pub Morden) article - Wimbledon Guardian 23/8/12

Letting pub go to rack and ruin article - Wimbledon Guardian 16/8/12

What next for Grove? A new Tesco article - Wimbledon Guardian 16/8/12

Pub developers facing firm criticism from campaigners article - Wimbledon Guardian 9/8/12

What happened at the Morden Tavern Planning Application Appeal Hearing on 1/8/12

What happened at the Appeal Hearing

The public hearing took place in the main Council chamber. The Campaign was represented by three members of the committee and the developer by a specialist property lawyer and a high-flying QC.

Around 50 residents along with all three St Helier ward councillors attended the hearing which, given it was a working day we were very pleased with. The Council raised concerns about access to the property for the site visit to take place later that day and the SHPG were able to rely on an assurance from the squatters who are resident in the Morden Tavern that the site visit would not be opposed.

The first session focused on the appearance of the proposed development. The council officers made most of the points to refuse planning permission with SHPG also making comments on the size of the proposed development not fitting other properties in Blanchland and Abbotsbury Road and the loss of the amenity space. Reef argued that the gardens were overgrown and that there was a park nearby.

Councillor Dennis Pearce made various points concerning the loss of the facility of the pub and the size of the development. His submission added a lot of weight to the arguments to dismiss the planning application.

The second session looked at the Heritage implications on the locally listed Morden Tavern. Dale Ingram from CAMRA, a specialist in inter-war public houses like the Tavern gave a detailed and robust analysis of how the development would cause permanent long term damage to the setting and value of this historic asset.

After lunch the SHPG led the discussion on the Council’s pub protection policies (L15 and L16) - the developer and council officers continued to deny there was any interest from the pub sector in taking over the Morden Tavern. We pointed towards an admission from the Estate Agent who dealt with the sale of the Leasehold, obtained by Siobhan McDonagh MP, that they had received bids from the pub sector but these were not the highest bids. We showed that the pub had never gone out of business in its history and was a viable entity.

The SHPG also produced maps to show how few pubs there are in the St. Helier area and how many residents would now be a mile to their nearest pub. Reef’s lawyers observed that the exercise would do them good!

The Appeal Hearing was adjourned to the Morden Tavern for the site visit at 5pm.

The SHPG felt that the Hearing was fair and that the majority of the arguments for and against the development were given a chance to be heard, something which has not happened we believe before. 

What happens next:

The usual period for decisions to be issued is about 7 weeks, but recently they have been issued as soon as four weeks from the hearing. If the appeal is upheld, construction will proceed and the Tavern will be lost. If it is upheld, it does not mean that the Tavern will be re-opened, but it will be a major step forward. Whatever the result, we will keep you informed.

We thank all those who have supported the campaign and dearly hope to see you in a refurbished Tavern in the not-too-distant future. 

Squatters to clean up 'neglected' pub article - Wimbledon Guardian 2/8/12