The White Swan closed closed three years ago this week: it still shows Six Nations memorabilia from 2020 in its front windows
Plans to convert the upper floors of the White Swan in Charlton Village into two flats have been thrown out on the third anniversary of the pub’s closure.
Isle of Man-based Mendoza Ltd had insisted the plans would not affect the viability of the pub – but Greenwich Council’s planning officers disagreed on the grounds that it would remove part of the pub’s floorspace.
As well as removing the function rooms upstairs, the plans would have involved taking out part of the downstairs bar to form an entrance to the flats.
Developers did not wait for the council to assess the plans and have already converted the rooms upstairs into residential accommodation, which is currently being squatted – something discovered by council officers when they visited the Swan as part of their investigations.
The Charlton Champion understands that electricity supply to the building was cut off this week.
In November 2020 Mendoza won planning permission to build a house in part of the beer garden after Stephen Brain, then the chair of planning in Greenwich, broke a tied vote to approve the plans. Work has not yet begun; Mendoza has until November this year to begin or the permission will lapse.
But that application was, in part, Mendoza’s undoing, because it said that the pub was viable because “the first floor of the public house contained a function room, a pool room and a cocktail bar with seating for 26 persons. This is corroborated by several objectors who stated that they had hired a function room at the premises in the past.”
Brendan Meade, the council officer who wrote the report, said that this showed Mendoza’s latest plans “would result in the loss of a significant amount of floorspace associated with the pub which would have an impact on the future viability of the public house to continue as such”.
Mendoza’s attempts to claim the pub was not viable were also criticised – Meade said a marketing report was not dated but appeared to have been written in late 2020, when lockdown had ravaged the market for pubs.
“The proposed development would result in the partial loss of floorspace associated with the existing public house with no justification provided for its loss,” the report concluded.
“Consequently, insufficient evidence has been submitted demonstrating how the existing public house on the site would continue to be economically viable and would not result in the loss of a social community asset to the detriment of the local area.”
The council is now going through the process of placing the Swan on its local heritage list, while this website understands that a repossession hearing will be held next week to take the pub back from the squatters.
There were 147 objections to Mendoza’s plans, including from the Charlton Society and the SE London branch of the Campaign for Real Ale.
Upstairs rooms have been converted to residential, despite the council decision, and are being squatted. Electricity supplies are said to have been cut off
Following the money
Mendoza bought the freehold to the Swan from Punch Taverns for £900,000 in April 2015, although Land Registry data reveals that in December that year the building was sold again, to Associate Properties Ltd, also based on the Isle of Man, for £1.2 million.
Both Mendoza and Associate Properties are registered at the same office in Douglas, the Manx capital, and the planning application was made by Mendoza. After its closure, the company insisted that it was committed to reopening the Swan as a pub.
Since January 2021 the property has been mortgaged. That charge is now held by Apex, a financial services company based in Bermuda.
A report to the council from Jenkins Law, which had been marketing the pub, said that it was initially offered at a rent of £50,000/year, later cut to £40,000/year, for the ground floor and basement only. The report described Charlton as “a densely-populated affluent suburb” and wrongly claimed the pub closed in November 2019.
The Charlton Champion understands that the rent on the Swan while it was open was about £65,000/year, although we have not been able to corroborate this figure. When Mendoza won permission to build the pub beer garden, its planning consultant conceded that the rent may have been too high.
Mendoza and Associate Properties also share the HQ in Douglas with another sister company, Hamna Wakaf, which owns the Vanburgh in Greenwich.
Plans for a house at the rear of the Vanbrugh were approved by planning inspectors in 2021 after years of refusals from the council. The housing plans for both the Vanbrugh and the Swan shared an architect, Milan Babic.
The Vanbrugh closed a year ago and is currently on the market for £90,000/year, although it is currently said to be “under offer”.
The White Swan closed in March 2020 and still displays Six Nations rugby paraphernalia
The property developer that owns the closed White Swan pub is applying to Greenwich Council to convert the first floor into two flats.
Isle of Man-based Mendoza Ltd claims that it is “common to have residential units above a public house” and insists that the proposal would not affect the viability of the pub, which would be restricted to the ground floor and beer garden.
The company, which bought the freehold from Punch Taverns for £900,000 in 2015, won planning permission nearly two years ago to build a house on part of the beer garden after a casting vote from the council’s then-chair of planning, Stephen Brain.
However, despite submitting proposals that would have seen the house completed in October last year, work on the house has not started.
A marketing assessment from Jenkins Law, which had been marketing the pub on behalf of Mendoza, describes Charlton as “a densely-populated affluent suburb” and falsely claims that the pub ceased trading in November 2019.
The Charlton and Woolwich Free Film Festival were regular users of the pub’s upstairs rooms
Jenkins Law says the pub was initially on the market at £50,000 per year before being reduced to £40,000 per year. The company says four potential occupiers viewed the pub but concluded the area did not have enough footfall and that they would struggle to compete with the nearby Bugle Horn.
It is “unrealistic for the property to continue in community use”, Jenkins Law said.
Losing the upper floor would mean a reopened pub would be unable to host events such as the Charlton and Woolwich Film Festival, which regularly used its function room; while the upstairs bar frequently accommodated fans after Charlton Athletic matches.
It took Mendoza four attempts to get permission to build the house, and now the developer has shown its hand a similar lengthy tussle could now begin.
In July, Greenwich Council began an investigation after plasterwork collapsed from the ceiling of the Swan. Neither Glasshouse Asset Management, Mendoza’s property agent, not ECF, which was looking after the company’s communications, responded to a request for comment at the time.
The application can be seen on Greenwich Council’s planning website, where comments can also be left. Comments can also be sent to planning[at]royalgreenwich.gov.uk, citing reference 22/2746/F.
The White Swan has been unused since March 2020. Six Nations rugby flags are still on display
Greenwich Council is investigating after part of the ceiling appeared to have collapsed at the White Swan pub, which is owned by property developers and has been closed for more than two years.
The council says it is looking into the issue after reports that people were seen moving into the upper floor of the pub amid fears that it could be being deliberately damaged.
While the town hall says it accepts that someone may live on site for security purposes, its inspectors were due to visit on Monday to look at the situation.
A quantity of plaster has fallen from the ceiling into the bar, which has not been used since March 2020. The pub closed just before the first lockdown, after a lengthy battle to pay the rent demanded by the Isle of Man-based property developer Mendoza, which bought the freehold from Punch Taverns for £900,000 in 2015.
Plaster has fallen into the area by the women’s toilet
A Greenwich Council spokesperson told The Charlton Champion on Monday evening: “We received a complaint in February 2021 about the space above the pub being used for residential purposes. Following investigation at the time we established that there was a pre-existing occupied flat there but that this was lawful and helpful in deterring any unauthorised entry and occupation.
“The ground floor at that time was not occupied for residential use. The officer concluded that there was no breach of planning control and records show no enforcement cases have been opened since then.
“Planning enforcement officers were due to seek to gain access today to inspect the premises following this report.”
It is not known whether a visit took place or if council officers could gain access.
Glasshouse Asset Management, Mendoza’s property agent, and ECF, which was looking after the company’s communications, have not responded to a request for comment.
The fate of The White Swan in Charlton Village will be up for discussion at the Charlton Society‘s regular monthly meeting this Saturday, together with a number of issues about improving the area.
The Swan closed suddenly in March 2020, just before the first lockdown, after a lengthy battle to pay the rent demanded by the Isle of Man-based property developer Mendoza, which bought the freehold from Punch Taverns for £900,000 in 2015.
The society has added the restoration of the Swan as a priority item to its Save Our Village Action Plan, which it will be discussing on Saturday.
Most of the (many) other items in the plan are to do with the public realm around the village, although it also includes the 20mph zone which was implemented two years ago, along with “continuous pavements” that were described as an “accident waiting to happen” on this website in March.
The meeting will be held at Charlton House at 2.30pm this Saturday; there is an admission fee of £3 for non-members and £2 for members.
In November, Mendoza won its long battle to build housing in part of the beer garden, when a Greenwich Council planning committee approved plans to build a home on land behind the pub. A Mendoza representative conceded at the meeting that the rent may have been too high.
The proposed house would sit behind the pub’s beer garden
Property developer Mendoza has won its battle to build a house at the back of the White Swan pub after Greenwich councillors approved its plans “with a heavy heart” last night.
Councillors on the Woolwich and Thamesmead planning committee tied by two votes to two on the plans, with one councillor abstaining, with chair and Peninsula ward councillor Stephen Brain giving the casting vote.
It is Mendoza’s fourth attempt to build property here. The house will face Torrance Close, the service road at the rear of The Village. The pub will lose 30 per cent of its beer garden, together with trees, with an access road being driven through from The Village so council lorries can collect bins.
The pub closed in March, just before the spring coronavirus lockdown, after years of high rents being charged by Mendoza, which bought he pub in 2015. Mendoza’s representatives admitted they may need to reduce the rent on the pub to make it viable – a strategy criticised by one councillor who questioned why the rent was not cheaper in the first place.
Planning officers had recommended they back the scheme. Their report to councillors said that “the area of pub garden retained would continue to provide usable outdoor space for patrons and would be proportional in size to the pub gardens of surrounding pubs”. They added: “The existing area of pub garden space is not integral to the overall viability of the White Swan because the significant and high quality internal facilities and the nature of the food and drink offering are also key selling points of the pub.”
“The development of part of the pub garden of The White Swan would maintain the viability of the pub and would provide a high quality residential development which would preserve the amenity of neighbour properties as well as the character and appearance of the Charlton Village Conservation Area,” the officers concluded. They recommended an acoustic wall be built to protect the new home from noise and a replacement tree be put in place in the garden.
How Mendoza says the new home would look from Torrance Close, behind the pub: it would largely be hidden from view by a wall
Despite the furore over the loss of part of the beer garden, only nine objections were received from members of the public and the Charlton Society. Fears for the future of the pub were expressed by speakers. Local resident Ruth Dodson called it “an incredibly family-friendly pub”, adding that the garden meant it was “a really safe place for children to play outside”. Another resident, Charlie Rome, spoke about the Charlton & Woolwich Free Film Festival’s screenings in the garden: “This is the kind of amenity the committee should be protecting.”
There was also unhappiness about the loss of the willow tree in the garden, but council tree officer Debi Rogers said that an inspection nine years ago had found it was decaying.
Addressing the committee, Charlton ward councillor Gary Parker said “anything that impinges on the beer garden” would jeopardise the pub’s future. “We’re in the era of social distancing now and anything that reduces the capacity for that will have an impact on the viability of a venue which is a music pub,” he said. Parker also said that the new London Plan – City Hall’s planning rules – cautioned against developments that took space from pubs.
Last orders: The White Swan has been closed since March
Fellow Charlton councillor Linda Perks, who stepped aside from the committee to speak against the application, said: “The White Swan is a very important local amenity – Charlton Village has two pubs, each with very different clientele. The White Swan is very much a family pub, with people interested in discussion, quizzes, people taking children are more likely to go to the Swan and the garden is a very important attraction.
“The pub will lose a third of its garden, this will impact very seriously on future operation of the pub. I did raise the question of future viability – the response given was that the upstairs rooms were available for the public house.” Perks also said there had been rumours that the pub’s upstairs rooms – which had been used for functions – were being converted for residential use.
“The previous pub landlord left because [Mendoza] raised the rent. The rent was quite high and it was hard for the pub to make a profit – it’s important that we seek assurances that it is their intention to retain the pub. The boundary of the property is right up against the pub garden and I can’t see that noise will be absorbed sufficiently and there’s a significant risk that the occupants will be complaining about noise.”
Milan Babic, the architect who designed the new house, said the new house would have no open windows at the rear. “Any noise has to go over the window and come down,” he said, adding that the gain of a new house and the loss of an “eyesore piece of land” would outweigh the loss of part of the beer garden.
Babic added: ”The pub will remain a pub. Unfortunately, it’s not viable – I’ve not heard any issue relating to rent; not enough people were using the property.”
Mendoza claimed these upstairs rooms were not viable
Peter Munnelly, a planning consultant for Isle of Man-based Mendoza, said: “No-one needs another period of uncertainty for the pub. If members chose not to go through with the officers’ recommendation, there will undoubtedly be another year, two years, where the pub will remain vacant. No tenant will want to take on a pub where they didn’t know what was going to be happening.
“The pub would still be used by families, would still attract a wide cross-section of society, it would still be a relatively large space. Yes, approximately 30 per cent would be lost, but all things being equal but that would not represent any kind of body blow to the appeal of the pub.”
Quizzed by the Conservative councillor for Eltham South, Nigel Fletcher, on whether Mendoza really wanted to keep the White Swan as a pub, Babic said: “My client is actively trying to find a tenant, it is a struggle but as far as we are aware they want to retain it as a pub. The previous tenant couldn’t make it work.
“It is highly likely now that the owner will have to review his rent strategy and reduce it, it could well be that it becomes viable. The freeholder has a pub, he knows it can only remain as a pub, and he has to work with that.”
Munnelly added: “The previous occupant has failed to – I need to couch my language a bit more carefully – has not made the operation commercially successful The pub is viable, but as Milan suggested, what it might entail is our client may need to take stock of the existing climate and make a reappraisal of what he can achieve in terms of rent for any new tenant.”
Mendoza bought the freehold to the White Swan in March 2015
Dillon asked: “Are you aware of the rent demands made on the previous occupier? That could have been a contributory factor, I’m disappointed to hear the owner could consider a rent strategy because he could have done that with the previous occupier.” Asking where Mendoza was advertising the pub, he said it appeared that “the owner’s influence is a big contributory factor” to the pub being unviable. There was no response to these points.
Fletcher said he would be supporting the application “with a great deal of reluctance”, saying that he did not think that refusing on the grounds that the pub would be affected would be defensible if Mendoza took the issue to a planning inspector.
“We can’t micromanage the rent policy of the owners of the site – they will have heard loud and clear what we think of that, but it’s not a planning consideration,” he said.
But Dillon said he believed noise would be an issue: “I don’t believe a fence at the end of the development is going to be sufficient to address a noise problem with the occupants – if you know that area, sound doesn’t necessarily travel in the same line. Without the trees to muffle that sound, it will not only go into the surrounding area but it will go into Charlton Park.”
Chair Stephen Brain said it was a “very sensitive issue”. “I’d be concerned about noise if we said it was a live music venue, but [the venue] is inside it and not in the back garden, and I don’t think sound will bounce off the back wall of Charlton but be absorbed by it,” he said.
“I think [rejecting the scheme] would be very, very hard to defend at appeal,” he said.
Dillon and Abbey Wood councillor Clive Mardner voted against the scheme, Woolwich Dockyard councilor Dominic Mbang abstained, and Brain and Fletcher voted for it.
With the votes tied, Brain said: “My casting vote with a heavy heart is to approve the officers’ recommendation.”
The White Swan is the second pub in south-east London to have developers succeed in attempting to redevelop parts of their premises this week. On Monday, developers gained consent to turn the upper floors of the White Hart on New Cross Road into flats after appealing to a planning inspector; Lewisham Council had previously refused the scheme.
You can watch the White Swan discussion for yourself in the YouTube video above – the key parts begin at one hour in.
How Mendoza says the new home would look from Torrance Close, behind the pub: it would largely be hidden from view by a wall
Greenwich councillors deferred a decision whether or not a house should be built at the back of the White Swan pub so they can take a closer look at the site themselves.
Council officers are recommending councillors approve a three-bedroom bungalow on land behind the beer garden – taking a strip off the beer garden to build an access path so council bin lorries can take away its rubbish from the front of the pub.
It is the company’s fourth attempt to build on the land since it bought the freehold from Punch Taverns in March 2015 – past attempts have been refused by the council and a planning inspector. The pub itself has been closed since March, but the company has said it will look for a new tenant.
After a discussion about the removal of trees in the beer garden (from 57 minutes in the video above), Thamesmead Moorings Labour councillor Averil Lekau said she was unfamiliar with the site and would prefer to see it for herself. “Would it not be possible to have a visit to get some clarity on what we’re deciding on?,” she said.
She was supported by Nigel Fletcher, a Conservative councillor for Eltham South, who called it an unusual application. “I know the pub but I don’t think I’ve ever been in the beer garden,” he said. “I’m having quite a bit of difficulty visualising the site and it’s quite a sensitive one; a lot of what we’re being asked to consider are the narrow grounds between this and previously refused schemes.”
There were nine objections, including from the Charlton Society. Planning officers are recommending an acoustic fence is put up to shield the house from the pub’s noise, while a tree in the beer garden should be replaced.
The scheme will return to the committee once councillors have visited the pub to see the location for themselves.
The Charlton Champion 