Homerton residents set up a pop-up pub outside a popular former boozer which closed six months ago.

Hackney Gazette: Drinkers at pop-up pub outside Chesham ArmsDrinkers at pop-up pub outside Chesham Arms (Image: Archant)

They also celebrated Hackney Council’s decision to turn the Chesham Arms in Mehetabel Road, Homerton, into an “asset of community value” by placing it on a local heritage list. The event on Saturday was blessed with the first spring sunshine of the year.

After almost 150 years of continuous trading, the pub was bought by a property developer last October and closed. Although owner Ozkan Homes has announced plans to convert the pub into flats, it has yet to submit a planning permission application.

Socialise

Environmental campaigner and Mehetabel Road resident Martyn Williams said: “The pop-up pub was a real reminder of how good it is to have somewhere to meet and socialise. It was also a chance to celebrate the progress our campaign has made in protecting the pub so far.

“The welcome decisions Hackney Council have made in the last six months show the importance both of the building itself and the way it provides a social hub in the neighbourhood. We hope the developer will see the chances of being allowed to convert the building are shrinking all the time, and that he will either re-open the pub or sell it on to allow someone else to.”