This Victorian pub in south London is being brought back to life

Don’t you just love to see a boozer come back from the dead?

The China Hall in Rotherhithe shut down way back in December 2018. By 2021 permission had been granted for the upper floors of the Victorian-era pub to be turned into flats, on the understanding that the pub set-up on the ground floor would be retained. However, when Southwark Council enforcement officers visited the premises in early 2022, they found that the bar had been removed and fixtures stripped, reports London expert IanVisits.

The ground floor, he writes, was basically an empty shell, and owners were about to convert the ground floor pub space into two flats. They then retrospectively applied for planning permission, which was refused. They then appealed, which was dismissed by the planning inspector, who has now ruled the pub was unlawfully converted into flats. And the best bit? It must once again be made into a public house. Justice for the pintsmen! 

Councillor Helen Dennis, Cabinet Member for New Homes and Sustainable Development, said: ‘This is a huge win for our planning enforcement team and local residents who worked together to save The China Hall as a functioning pub. Pubs are specifically protected by planning policy and for good reason.

‘I’m thrilled that such an important piece of Rotherhithe’s history and community has been protected. It serves as a warning that it is never acceptable for works for go ahead before a planning application has been approved.’

Of course, someone will now have to re-open the pub, but IanVisits reports that the planning inspector said that several offers were made when it was last looking for a new occupant and potential pub operators visited the building during the pandemic, so it shouldn’t be too much of a hard sell. 

See you there for a Guinness when the China Hall finally opens up for business, then?

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