Further legal action may be taken against the Bromley developer which illegally demolished an 18th-century Sydenham pub, the Mayor of Lewisham has warned.
The Greyhound in Kirkdale closed in 2007 and was knocked down in 2012, leaving just the front wall intact, despite it being in a conservation area banning demolition without council consent.
Last year Lewisham Council prosecuted developer Pure Lake for the unauthorised demolition.
The company was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £13,000 costs by Bromley magistrates.
Civic group The Sydenham Society is continuing to push for the pub to be rebuilt, and last night confronted Mayor Steve Bullock and members of the cabinet about the “eyesore” left behind by Pure Lake.
Armed with placards outside Lewisham’s civic offices, the 30-strong group demanded: “Enough is enough, we want our pub back.”
Barry Milton, a member of the society, told the Mayor: “We have been patient for seven years and enough is enough, we now want this issue to be resolved in the next few months.
“We would very much like to meet with the (council) chief executive and the Mayor as we have some ideas to put forward to do something about this planning quagmire.”
The Mayor invited the group to attend a follow-up meeting on October 22 to consider what action should be taken.
Mr Bullock said: “This organisation (Pure Lake) has been found guilty of a criminal act. If that implies that the council should take legal action then that is what we want to do.”
Sydenham Society chairwoman Annabel McLaren said having her defiant group attend the meeting was a reminder to Lewisham Council that the half-demolished building is “ruining our community.”
She added: “I think if they are serious about taking legal action then this is a great step in getting it resolved and the fact that the Mayor said that Pure Lake committed a criminal offence means the problem is finally being acknowledged.”
Pure Lake director Gerry Dowd had claimed at the time of the demolition it had been necessary because of "structural problems" at the building, partly caused by a fire.
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