Mottingham residents are readying themselves for another fight against supermarket chain Lidl’s plans to knock down their beloved Porcupine Pub.

An appeal Lidl lodged in April, after Bromley Council rejected its plans to turn the pub into a supermarket, will be heard at a public inquiry this month.

And locals are already hatching plans to regenerate their treasured boozer if a planning inspector, who will have the final say, refuses Lidl’s appeal bid.

A team of residents, known as the Porcupine Development Group, want to re-open the Mottingham Road tavern as a community pub owned and run by shareholders.

The group have launched a consultation exercise to find out what other residents would want from the pub.

Ted Rowlands, Porcupine Development Group chair, told News Shopper: “We are quite excited about the appeal coming up because we think Lidl’s appeal will be refused.

“Some councillors told us it was the most objected planning application they have ever had. The campaigners are a really powerful group.”

Mr Rowlands, of Court Farm Road, said the group wants to raise the funds to buy the site should the planning inspector reject Lidl’s appeal.

He said: “We want the pub to be a social enterprise, which is run by the community for the community.”

The 68-year-old said the pub would work like a co-operative with local people buying shares and receiving democratic voting powers on how it is run.

“We’d like it so that at 9o’clock in the morning the place is full of pushchairs and parents who have just dropped their kids off at school coming in for coffee,” he said.

“And we’d like to put mental health support facilities there too. There is lots of space we could use.”

Only about five per cent of planning appeals end up as public inquiries.

A secretary of state appointed planning inspector will hear evidence from interested parties before making a final decision.

The inquiry is due to begin on September 30 and could last up to four days.

To find out more about the Porcupine Development Group’s consultation visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PZZVCHN

News Shopper has contacted Lidl for comment.