It might be last call for a historic Battersea pub that was unlawfully demolished before it rose from the rubble.
The Alchemist pub in 225 St John’s Hill was knocked down without planning permission in the summer of 2015 – prompting Wandsworth Council to issue developer Udhyam Amim with an enforcement notice requiring him to rebuild it brick-by-brick.
This process was completed in the summer of 2018, but despite that, its time as a pub may still be up.
A planning application has been submitted to the council that would change the legal use of the site from a pub, to 'D2 assembly and leisure' use.
D2 use can include cinemas, music and concert halls, bingo and dance halls (but not night clubs), swimming baths, skating rinks, gymnasiums or area for indoor or outdoor sports and recreations (except for motor sports, or where firearms are used).
The application prepared by Restaurant Property said that after nine months of marketing as a pub, zero offers were received.
"Based upon our experience of openly marketing this property for such a lengthy period, it is considered the property has very limited appeal to pub operators by virtue of its location lacking footfall significantly enough to make a success of this site," it read.
"Various parties also expressed concerns about trading a public house business beneath residential occupiers as noise complaints lodged from the residents above could jeopardise the premises licence and its ability to trade.
"It is considered that the lack of interest from licensed retail users is a clear indication that operators on our database do not perceive the property to have potential as a public house business."
The Alchemist was formerly known as the Fishmonger’s Arms and dates back to the late nineteenth century.
"The application site currently offers no commercial character," the application continued.
"Although historically a public house it has not been operating in this use for several years, and has little prospect of meaningful use as such in the foreseeable future.
"A limit to the permitted uses at the site therefore restricts the ground floor unit from fulfilling it’s potential as a ‘seedbed’ for new business.
"It has not been possible to attract a pub operator and therefore the premises currently fails to the enliven the character of the Conservation Area or bring activity to the street."
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