Lidl is trying again to bulldoze an empty pub in Mottingham much to the despair of neighbours.

Angry pub-goers protested the closure of the Porcupine back in 2013 when it first ceased trading.

“Porki” to locals, a campaign was quickly set up to save the old watering hole from being handed over to a supermarket.

Lidl have already tried once to get planning permission for the site, but this was thrown out by the council.

Despite appealing to the government, the food-store giants failed to get the necessary green-light – and opted to sell the site instead.

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A campaign successfully got the site listed as an “asset of community value”, and Lidl have since reviewed the site and decided it will try again to build a grocery store.

“Despite the initiatives detailed above, the site of the Porcupine Inn has now been vacant for almost six years,” planning documents explain.

“Within this period, full opportunity has been provided to local community groups and the open market to formulate proposals to resurrect a public house use on the site, but no viable plans or firm proposals have materialised.

“As such, Lidl is now seeking again to promote redevelopment of the site to bring it back into productive use, to deliver a valuable neighbourhood foodstore for the community.”

Lidl says bringing the site back into use will provide jobs and secure the future of the long-term empty pub.

The supermarket says it has revised the issues that stumped its last application when it was taken to a government planning inspector, which was mainly due to the impact on surround roads.

However, many people remain unconvinced, with more than 60 objections so far listed against the proposals.

One angry objector said: “Our main concerns for this proposal still surround the increased traffic in the area.

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“As a resident in Mottingham Lane we urge the planning committee to witness our lane during school dropping off times and picking up. It is almost a no-go area at these times.”

Another said: “It should be open as a family pub again, we don’t want a Lidl it be a shame if the pub gets knocked down.”

However, some neighbours have backed the scheme – with one saying: “We need this shop here. There isn’t any low cost shops in the area and it’s what everyone wants.

“It will promote the area and cause it to flourish economically. The pub isn’t in use and no one has wanted to buy it to keep it as a pub so the best thing to do is create something, such as Lidl, that will help the community. ”

The contentious scheme is currently being handled by council officers with a decision expected in coming months.