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| Carlton Tavern after demolition |
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| and before... |
There were rumours today that the company concerned had gone into liquidation to avoid legal action.
A demonstration is planned for the evening of Sunday April 26th, more details when it is finalised.
Meanwhile a 38 Degrees petition has been set up LINK with this preamble:
The Save the Queensbury, fighting for the pub in Willesden Green, has expressed solidaroty and meanwhile have issued a revolutionary manifesto that challenges all the political parties to match the vision which they percieve through the bottom of a glass LINKA historic pub in Kilburn which survived being bombed in the Second World War has been demolished by developers behind the backs of the local community.
Developers ripped through the Carlton Tavern on Friday 10th April, despite being considered for statutory listing.
Local Cllr Jan Prendergast from Westminster City Council said:
“I'm horrified for the local residents that this has occurred. It came as such a shock to everyone. There was no prior warning to the council, no approvals and no proper health and safety procedures in place.
“This was a lovely pub and I'm sorry to see it go, but I'm more concerned for the residents in Maida Vale for whom they showed no consideration whatsoever. It was the last building standing in Carlton vale after the WW2 bombings.
“I've lived in the area for 35 years and have never seen anything like this before. We need to take very careful legal advice as to what steps we can take.”
The demolition of the Carlton Tavern demonstrates how vulnerable communities are to speculative and aggressive development tactics. It also demonstrates a complete disregard towards the historic social infrastructure of Kilburn and the wider UK pub heritage stock.
Local pubs are at the heart of our communities and allowing valued pubs such as the Carlton Tavern to be demolished in this way is ludicrous and is denying local residents a say in the future of their neighbourhoods.
James Watson, Regional Pub Protection Advisor for the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said:
"Although we welcome the recent changes to planning law which came into effect on 6th April 2015, which afford some protection to ACV-registered pubs, the tragic case of the Carlton Tavern demonstrates just how vulnerable pubs are to rapacious development. We now urge the Government to take this case into consideration and amend planning law to ensure that such demolitions are prohibited unless planning permission is first obtained. This would ensure communities like Kilburn have a say in the future of their local pubs."