WBRA and the Bromley branch of Camra have been successful in getting the William IV pub listed as an Asset of Community Value. This means that if the owners wanted to sell the pub for eg residential development, they would first have to notify the community who would have six months to find an alternative buyer to keep the pub going. So far, we should point out there have been no proposals to sell off this valuable local asset.
This is in so small part due to energy and commitment of the William’s landlady Pauline Stokoe, and her son Daniel, who could demonstrate the strong role the pub plays in local life. They host live music every week including jam sessions, and the venue is used by many in the local community for family events such as birthdays, celebrations and, more sadly, funerals. Our thanks to Pauline and Daniel for all their hard work in the community.
The listing of the William IV is very good news as so many of our pubs are being closed down and sold off. The most recent was the Rising Sun in Upper Elmers End Road. WBRA and Camra also applied to have that listed, but the application came a little too late for success, as the pub had already been sold. There is now a planning application to build flats and supermarket on the site. WBRA have objected to these plans for two reasons. First the design mimics the design of the Masters showroom next door ie is a large white faced uniform block. Masters itself does not fit well with the local predominantly residential and small shop front road. We do not want more white monoliths along Upper Elmers End Road. Second, we object to the supermarket. There is already a Co-op supermarket on the other side of the road and another supermarket will inevitably lead to more pressure on this and the other small shops. It is likely that a new supermarket here would lead to empty shops over time. If the applicants think that residential is the way forward, all the block should be residential.