Developer forced to recreate facade of former Black Horse pub in Sidcup

The 300-year-old Black Horse pub in the High Street was torn down to make way for an 84-bedroom Travelodge.

Planning permission was granted on the condition Hillingdon Developments build a new facade reflecting the pub as it was in 1897.

But Bexley Council slapped an enforcement notice on the company in December forcing it to build the planned pastiche because the structure it put up bore little resemblance to the former listed building.

Hillingdon’s appeal against the order has now been rejected after a separate planning application to "reconfigure" the structure was also turned down in May.

A Sidcup Community Group spokesman said: "I am are aware there are some who find this issue no big deal and feel even an image of the Black Horse was not worth fighting for.

"To those I would simply say the fight has to some extent been about democracy.

"In our opinion there was a clear attempt to trample planning laws devised by the democratic process."

The Traveloge in Sidcup High Street. 

Chairman of Bexley Council's Planning Committee Councillor Peter Reader welcomed the decision. 

He said: "The council is delighted the Planning Inspectorate has upheld our enforcement notice which was served on the developers of the former Black Horse site in Sidcup.

"The design of the replacement facade had been carefully agreed with the developers and endorsed by the Planning Committee.

"What was actually built lacked all the detail and refinement of that agreed scheme. The enforcement notice requires that the facade be reinstated in accordance with the agreed scheme.

"It is always good when appeal decisions taken nationally back up decisions taken locally and reinforce the need to follow planning permissions, not ignore and flout them."