A 150-year-old pub once frequented by Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse is at the centre of a legal battle over whether communities can save important buildings from developers.
In March the Chesham Arms in Mehatabel Road, Homerton, was granted Asset of Community Value status. Under a new law to give residents greater powers to preserve key services such as pubs, post offices and libraries, councils must take account of ACV status before allowing a change of use, and locals can delay a sale to see if they can mount a bid to buy the property. But owner Mukund Patel has put in “temporary” offices, and let out the flat above.
He wants to turn the pub, now shut, into four flats, and is appealing against ACV status. There is a hearing at Hackney Town Hall on Thursday.
