A landmark pub in Lower Clapton is deteriorating day by day, more than two years after planning permission was granted for the building’s redevelopment.
The Lord Cecil, at 42 Lower Clapton Road, has stood empty since it closed in 2006.
Permission was granted in January 2010 to convert the ground floor and basement of the three-storey Victorian pub building into commercial space and construct flats above, but the work has not yet begun.
Anna Walters, who lives in Lower Clapton, is “really worried” about the building which she passes every day.
‘Left to rot’
She said: “It looks really uncared for and I have a feeling that it is being left to rot.
“I think they hope the wind and weather will take it down.
“For somebody to make use of that building as a landmark would be really nice. It’s such a shame it doesn’t look like there are any plans for it.”
By law, work must start on a site within three years of planning permission being granted.
Though The Lord Cecil is still boarded up, work is deemed to have begun because three new houses have been built adjoining the pub, as was provided for in the 2010 plan.
Owner Lord Cecil Properties Ltd has no obligation to complete all parts of the building works for which they sought permission, Hackney Council confirmed.
A planning application for the same site, submitted in June 2010 and which seeks to change the height of the three new houses, remains unresolved.
A spokesperson for Symon Smith, the estate agent for the property, said: “The building has got planning permission and it is earmarked for development.”
Since The Lord Cecil’s closure, the building in the Clapton Square conservation area has been squatted twice, hit by a double-decker bus and suffered fire damage.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here