A pub in Lewisham that had been at the centre of a campaign to turn it into a community music venue could become a ten-room HMO if a developer is successful.
The Ravensbourne Arms on Lewisham High Street closed in 2016 after the pub company Antic secured permission to turn the top floor into flats and sold the building.
The pub would be turned into a co-living space with ensuite rooms, shared kitchen and a co-working space in the basement, according to planning documents.
Once known as the George & Dragon, the ground floor of the building – which is on Lewisham Council’s local heritage list – has been empty ever since.
Five years ago, Sister Midnight, which ran a record shop in Deptford, began a crowdfunding campaign to buy the pub and turn it into a community-run venue, which was backed by Jools Holland and the Dublin band Fontaines DC.
But the campaigners said the building’s owners refused to entertain the idea and they have since been offered the disused Brookdale social club in Catford by the council.
Two years ago Lewisham Council threw out plans to turn the ground floor of the Ravensbourne Arms into four flats, saying there was no authoritative evidence that the pub could not be reopened, and citing the Sister Midnight campaign as evidence.
But now Eastfield Investments, which has agreed to buy the ground floor and basement for £750,000, says no formal offer was made by the group to take on the pub. It says that the pub has been on the market since 2018, with only three offers, including the one from Eastfield.
Owners of 20 existing pubs in an area between Nunhead and Greenwich were also asked in 2019 if they would like to take on the property, the developer says.
“The recorded market response shows weak engagement and poor conversion, with viewings and enquiries generating only a small number of formal offers, none from an existing pub operator seeking to retain the premises as a public house, and (where offers were made) they were conditional on securing a change of use,” a marketing report says.
“Community-led interest is also documented transparently, but did not result in a deliverable transaction at market value.”
Residents can comment on the proposal on Lewisham Council’s planning website.
Sister Midnight has raised £365,000 so far to renovate the Brookdale Club, and until the end of this month anyone who invests in community shares will have their money match-funded by the Music Venue Trust and Co-operatives UK, meaning every £100 becomes £300.
📩 Follow The Greenwich Wire on Bluesky, Facebook, LinkedIn or Threads. You can also sign up for WhatsApp alerts – or subscribe to our emails through the blue box above.
You must be logged in to post a comment.