Campaigners in Charlton are calling on Greenwich Council to force the offshore developer that owns the White Swan pub to restore the venue to how it was when it closed three years ago.
Mendoza, which is based on the Isle of Man, wants to turn the pub into a supermarket with flats above, and has named Tesco as a possible occupier in a planning submission to Greenwich Council.
But the pub, which is on the local heritage list, has been left neglected since it closed its doors in March 2020. Upstairs function rooms have been turned into accommodation despite the council refusing permission for flats above the bar.
The Swan was squatted earlier this year and a cannabis farm was found in the building last week, with the bar area left damaged.
The pub sits at the heart of the crumbling Charlton Village conservation area, which was declared “at risk” by Historic England six years ago. The heritage body warned that the area was “deteriorating”.
Petitioners say that a community-run White Swan should be at the heart of a revived Charlton Village, and that as a first step the council should force Mendoza to restore the upstairs function rooms.
They also want the council to draw up plans to restore the village as part of its masterplan for the nearby Charlton riverside.
The campaigners are hoping for funding to buy the pub themselves and turn it into a music and arts hub.
Suzanne Hunt, who is leading the campaign said: “As a community we have to act to save the White Swan, but the total destruction of the building means that it will take more than community action to save it.
“We elect councillors and our council and politicians to act for our good where individuals are powerless, and this is that time. Charlton needs a costed plan to restore Charlton, restore the conservation area, restore the White Swan and bring jobs and trade to Charlton Village. We don’t need inaction and drug gangs.”
“Local businesses can thrive in Charlton Village like the Baguette cafe, the Village Greengrocers or the new ice cream parlour. These are local families from our community creating jobs. The White Swan should be a venue bringing people into the village, as it did in the past, and be at the heart of our local economy, not a deterrent and symbol of bleak commercial greed and neglect.”
Locals have been left fearing for the future of the Victorian building since the cannabis farm was discovered in the wake of high-profile fires in closed pubs.
Hunt said: “It is sickening to see such a magnificent, well-loved community space overrun by criminal gangs. Every time I walk pass the White Swan I remember birthday parties, going to see local bands, a quick drink hanging out with friends or even feeling safe to go in there on my own to do a bit of work, and be in a friendly environment.
“I feel that something has been stolen from us and that the cannabis farm, along with the destruction and decay, makes me distraught when I think of all that has been lost for our community.”
On Monday, Greenwich Council ordered a developer to knock down two tower blocks by the Woolwich Ferry over breaches of planning permission, and Hunt said the authority should do the same in Charlton with the Swan.
She said: “Greenwich Council has shown they are willing to stand up to unscrupulous developers to improve the quality of life for real people and not big business.
“We call on planning enforcement to show their bravery again, and put the people of Charlton first by taking action to restore the White Swan from a venue for organised crime to a pub, a safe community space with function rooms for all to use.”
Locals who reported suspected break-ins at the disused pub were left baffled by an apparent lack of interest from the Metropolitan Police, which did not respond to questions about the issue last week. Mendoza’s representatives also failed to respond when approached last week.
The Greenwich Wire understands that it took an intervention from Anthony Okereke, the leader of the council, over the weekend to get a response from the police as to what it was doing.
Residents who complained been told by police that the cannabis factory found in the pub has been destroyed and that there are now regular patrols past the building.
The White Swan petition can be signed at change.org.
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