The Greyhound public house in Sydenham is near Cobb’s corner and Sydenham railway station re-opened its doors to the Sydenham Society and local community on Thursday, 22nd February 2018. This followed a long campaign of over a decade.
The Newsshopper newspaper reported of the campaigners’ success in preventing demolition of the 18th century hostelry on 8th September 2007. In that report Sydenham Councillor Liam Curran said that this was just one step in the battle and how right he was.
The long and winding road included a trip to Bromley Magistrates Court in 2013 where the developer Purelake was fined £5,000 with £13,000 costs after pleading guilty to unauthorised demolition a year before. The news report states that
“Last March [2012], the Greyhound in Kirkdale was knocked down, leaving just the front wall intact, despite it being in a conservation area banning demolition without council consent.”
The Sydenham Society has campaigned tenaciously for The Greyhound and enlisted the help of the late Professor Gavin Stamp an architectural historian. The minutes of a Lewisham Council Mayor & Cabinet show their success in making the pub part of a conservation area:
“The Mayor received representations from Pat Trembath, Chair of the Sydenham Society and Annabel McLaren, Chair of the Sydenham Society’s Conservation and Planning Sub Committee who called for the creation of a Cobbs Corner and Central Sydenham Conservation Area. They referred to a letter of support from Architectural historian Professor Gavin Stamp and outlined in detail the architectural significance of properties in Kirkdale, Spring Hill, Peak Hill Gardens, Peak Hill Avenue, Kinver Road and Peak Hill.
Councillor Alan Hall praised the work of his colleague Councillor Ami Ibitson in campaigning generally for the preservation of public houses in Lewisham and he referred to the motion passed at Council on this subject. He urged officers to consider formulating policies for inclusion in the Lewisham Development Framework which afforded greater protection to public houses.”
https://twitter.com/cllralanhall/status/966802777480617985
The Greyhound in Sydenham has been totally transformed and it is now open to the public. It is a successful venue in the local area see: https://www.thegreyhoundsydenham.co.uk/ and see what’s on now! Cheers…