Property versus Pints

Foxtons the Estate Agents represented by Agents Montague Evans  notified Southwark  Planners in April that they intended to open a Branch of their Estate Agency in the pub known as the Elephant and Castle.

The current Elephant & Castle pub is on the corner of New Kent Road and Newington Causeway, it  took the place of the original tavern that gave the area its name.

In a recent community website report it stated: In a letter to the council, agents Montagu Evans explain that – so long as the pub is not listed as an asset of community value under the Localism Act – they don’t need planning permission to change the use of the building from class A4 (pub) to class A2 (finance).

If the pub is not nominated as a community asset within 56 days of Foxtons’ request to the council (dated 16 April), then the change of use is automatically permitted.

In another area of London “The Star” a former public house in St John’s Wood  has been used as offices since March of this year by  Champion Estates, following an unsuccessful attempt by the owners to demolish and to build luxury flats on the site.

Champion Estates have now been ordered by Westminster Council to vacate. In February the building was awarded Asset of Community Value status by Westminster Council, which halted it being converted into residential space.

This is certainly the  war of Property versus Pints.

 

 

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Castles, cottages, vineyards and barn conversions

The latest data from LandSale has revealed what buyers can expect to pay, and how much they can get for their money if they want to escape to the country, with castles, vineyards, barn conversions, and cottages currently offering very different routes to rural living. The analysis draws on LandSale’s internal listing data and examines…
Read More
Breaking News

Poor property maintenance could wipe £59,000 in value

The latest research by property management specialist, Rushbrook, has revealed that landlords who fail to adequately maintain their rental properties could see as much as £30,172 wiped from the value of the average buy-to-let investment across England, with this potential loss climbing to almost £59,000 in London.   Rushbrook analysed landlord-specific property values across each…
Read More
Breaking News

Breaking Property News 20/8/26

Daily bite-sized proptech and property news in partnership with Proptech-X.   Why Angela Rayner Housing Secretary is in the wrong job – again   A smile, bluster and vague soundbites will not solve the UK housing crisis  Thought Leadership by Andrew Stanton – CEO Proptech-PR  ‘I have been involved in the UK property industry since the mid 1980’s…
Read More
Breaking News

Buyers Looking Beyond London

London new-build demand plummets behind commuter belt as buyers look beyond the capital   Demand for new-build homes in Essex more than three times higher than in London, while Hertfordshire faces supply squeeze amid growing buyer appetite   The latest research by UK Property Development has revealed a growing divide between London’s new-build market and…
Read More
Finance

Top six tips for first-time buyers

Independent mortgage broker, Flagstone Financial, has outlined key advice for first-time buyers, pointing to flexible options as signs of an improving mortgage market.   With high loan-to-value lending (80–95%) becoming more widely available, the property ladder is more accessible than in recent years, and experts at Flagstone Financial, partner of the Beresfords Group, are advising…
Read More
to let sign 2025
Breaking News

England’s rental stock surges by as much as 86.6% in a year

Rental listings have almost doubled in Tyne and Wear since August 2025, with Greater Manchester and a host of other markets also recording double-digit growth   The latest research from Propoly has revealed that England’s rental listings have climbed by an average of 7.4% in the past year, led by an 86.6% increase in Tyne and…
Read More