There could soon be one less Porcupine trotting around London’s south-east, with a decision on the long-running proposal to demolish a Mottingham pub for a Lidl set to be made next week.

Members of Bromley Council’s development control committee were due to vote on Lidl’s plans to knock down the unused century-old boozer for a new supermarket back in January.

However that item was hooked at the last minute to allow councillors to view the site first-hand.

Paperwork for the latest application is largely identical to what was submitted in January, with council officers recommending the proposal for approval – despite resistance from the area’s MPs, councillors and more than 200 residents.

Of the 307 written responses from residents received by the council, 248 have opposed the plans.

Further objections were received by Bromley’s ward members for Mottingham and Chislehurst North, Councillors David Cartwright and Will Rowlands.

Neighbouring councillors from the borough of Greenwich, consisting of John Hills, Matt Hartley and Roger Tester, also added their concerns regarding traffic surrounding the site.

Bromley and Chislehurt MP Bob Neill registered his objections with the council, saying the pub, which closed in 2013, “was considered as a valued community facility”.

“There are more residents whom object to the proposal than support it. Many within this local community believe that the applicant has cynically and deliberately allowed the site to fall into disrepair in order to make the redevelopment more appealing,” he also wrote.

However, council officers have continued to push the application for approval – saying it would “contribute to the vitality and viability of Mottingham Local Centre” while bringing “a derelict site back into active use”.

“The site has been marketed since 2016 and local community groups were provided with opportunities to acquire the site,” the report says, adding that no buyers ever came forward.

It’s the second attempt by Lidl to build at the site, and comes after their first application was rejected by Bromley councillors in 2013.

A Government inspector upheld the authority’s decision at the subsequent appeal by Lidl, saying that “sub-standard sightlines” at the proposed access of the supermarket made it a traffic risk.

However, the supermarket giants submitted a revised plan for the site last year, with Bromley Council officers saying a plan to create a new access rectifies that issue.

Bromley’s development control committee is due to meet on March 18.