Council wins conviction against unauthorised demolition of Greyhound pub
Lewisham Council has gained a conviction against Purelake New Homes Limited for the unauthorised demolition of the Greyhound pub in Sydenham.
The Company formally entered a plea of guilty at the Bromley Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 19 March.
The Company was ordered to pay £13,000 in costs to the Council to cover legal expenses and an additional fine of £5,000.
In determining the penalty, the Court took into account that Purelake New Homes Limited had offered a plea of guilty, was not likely to benefit from the development financially, agreed to pay prosecution costs and intended to rebuild the pub using original materials.
The Mayor of Lewisham, Sir Steve Bullock, said: “This is an excellent result for local residents who were shocked by the unauthorised demolition and my thanks go to those Council officers who worked hard to achieve this outcome.
“I am staggered that a developer would demolish a building in this way. I hope the court’s decision sends a strong message to other developers that they need to respect the legitimate requests made by local authorities.”