There were loud cheers from campaigners as Conservatives and Labour councillors agreed a demand that a historic Kilburn pub is rebuilt.
Campaigners for Rebuild the Carlton Tavern, in Carlton Vale, illegitimately demolished by owner CLTX earlier this month, attended Westminster Council’s meeting at Porchester Hall, in Porchester Road, Bayswater last night.
Paul Dimoldenberg, Labour’s Queens Park councillor and leader of the opposition wanted assurances from Conservative leaders on how it would act if CLTX failed to comply with the rebuilding of the pub.
An enforcement notice is scheduled to be approved by the council’s planning committee on Tuesday.
Robert Davis, deputy leader of Westminster Council, said: “A report to the planning committee next week will make an order to rebuild the pub brick by brick exactly as it was before it was demolished. I hope they do throw the book at them.”
He added: “We’ll take whatever action and the power we have in the city council to make sure it is rebuilt and do everything we can with proper legal advice to get that pub back again.”
He added that a petition for the pub will be listed as non-designated heritage asset “to ensure this disgraceful episode be not repeated again.”
CLTX ordered bulldozers to destroy the historic pub despite the council rejecting its application to knock it down and replace it with a new pub and flats.
Patsy Lord, former landlady of the Carlton Tavern, who was given no warning by CLTX and told only to take a day off for an inventory, said: “We are going to fight to the end; we are not going to give up. They picked the wrong community to try and destroy.
She added: “We are going to fight, not just for the Carlton Tavern but for a lot of pubs where people are coming in and taking over. We are going to make a stand, it’s got to stop.”
John Walker, director of planning at Westminster Council, said: “There is a paper going to planning committee next week. Obviously, we cannot pre-empt any decision, but this shows how important the issue is to local residents and the council, and officers have worked hard to bring this to the committee as quickly as possible.
“We are still liaising with Historic England and DCMS and the advice provided by them will help to determine the final course of action.”
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