Pub in row with Greenwich Council over seating
The Trafalgar Tavern in Greenwich is embroiled in a dispute with the local council after it demanded that the Thameside pub remove its outside seating.
The historic riverside London pub opened in 1837, the year that Queen Victoria came to the throne. It has not always been a pub over the past two centuries, however – between 1915 and 1965 the building served various roles, including as the home to a working man’s club and an unemployment centre.
Today, the outside of the pub is distinctive due to the maritime signal flags bunting, statue of Lord Nelson and the presence of benches running along the bank of the Thames.
However, it is the latter feature which has prompted Greenwich Council to issue an enforcement notice. According to the council’s enforcement notice register: “Without planning permission, [there was] a material change of use of the Thames Path (also known as The Ramp & The Knuckle) for the provision of an external drinking and dining area and the provision of seating for the patrons of The Trafalgar Tavern Public House.”
As for what the pub has been ordered to do, the register gave it one month deadline from 1 May to: “Cease the use of the land referred as ‘The Ramp & The Knuckle’ as an external drinking and dining area. Remove in its entirety all seating, umbrellas and tables within the area hatched on the attached plan. Remove from the land all materials resulting from the carrying out of the above steps.”
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db has reached out to Greenwich Council to ask why the enforcement notice was issued when it was, despite the pub having had its riverside benches for some time. It is also understood that there has been an agreement between the pub and the council since 2005 where the former would cover the costs of resurfacing and landscaping the area of the benches. No response has been given.
The Trafalgar Tavern has appealed against the enforcement notice, warning that the loss of the seating could result in the loss of a third of its workforce – 75 jobs.
Speaking with The Standard, landlord Frank Dowling said: “The alternative is going to be 500 people standing and drinking. That is not the pub we operate. We would rather people sit down, we take your order, and we bring you your food and drink.”
“The benefit of the thousands of people who enjoy it compared to those who see it as a detriment is not equal,” argued Dowling, who has been landlord of The Trafalgar Tavern for the last 24 years.
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