Croydon Council is putting homeless families in a derelict pub in Greenwich which was used as a cannabis factory

Homeless people in south London have reportedly been given emergency accommodation in a derelict pub in Charlton where a cannabis plant was found by police last year. Croydon Council has placed people in rooms at the White Swan pub in Charlton, which has been empty since March 2020, although the authority said it was investigating and “reviewing its property acquisition processes”.

The pub now appears to have a house number painted on the side of the building and bins outside the front, although it is unclear whether Croydon Council knew they were putting people up in a derelict pub. An individual who lives on the site confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) this week that they were placed there in an emergency by Croydon Council.

The pub closed just before the pandemic, with council documents stating the building dates back to the 19th century when it was rebuilt for use as a hotel. Local resident Bridget Duffy, 55, claimed neighbors had spotted squatters occupying the pub for a period of time after it closed, which had “destroyed” the structure.

She told LDRS: “It’s a lovely family pub and it’s been set up really nicely. But I think they’ve raised the rent so high that people can’t afford to run a business.” She called the pub “a real asset to the village” but said it had been destroyed.

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Ms Duffy said the dilapidated state of the building made her concerned about the behavior it could attract. She said the lower part of the building was used as a cannabis factory last year.

She said: “There was a weed farm set up in it that had been there for ages. She was reported to the police, but nothing happened. I walked past it one morning and saw people taking plants and huge things to it and I reported it, I think it was about five weeks before anything was done.”

She added: “Obviously it must have been there for a long time as it was well established… A few days later I saw people coming out and taking their equipment with them in broad daylight.”

A Met Police spokesperson told LDRS that officers were called to the pub in September 2023 and found a disused cannabis plant, including electrical equipment, pot and soil left behind. They said no arrests have been made and no investigations are underway in the case.

A spokesperson for Croydon Council told LDRS: “This matter is being investigated and we will work closely with our local authority partner and take action as necessary.” They added: “We are reviewing our property acquisition processes to ensure we continue to provide our residents with good quality properties that comply with current standards and legal requirements.”

A spokesman for Greenwich Council said the authority wants to make sure everyone living in Greenwich has a safe and secure home. They said the authority was investigating to ensure the use of the building complied with planning and environmental health legislation.

“One of Charlton’s great obstacles”

Bardan Pradhan, 41, opened the local greengrocer seven years ago, shortly after moving to Charlton. He said he and other local businesses used to supply goods to the White Swan while it was still open.

He told LDRS: “It has certainly had a very severe impact on the local economy. We’re still surviving, but in saying that, it’s one of the big obstacles preventing this local area from thriving.”

He added: “We found there were a lot of potential business owners who wanted to set up a business in Charlton, but then a derelict building like the White Swan is a big deterrent.”

A petition asking Greenwich Council to restore the White Swan into a functioning pub with function rooms was presented to the authority this year after being signed by more than 1,200 residents. Labor councilor Jo van den Broek told a meeting last December that function rooms on the building’s first floor had previously been destroyed by workers without the council’s permission.

The request followed an application last year by the pub’s owner, Mendoza Limited, to convert the property into a set of seven flats with space for a shop on the ground floor. Planning documents from Jenkins Law, on behalf of the plaintiff, said it was “unrealistic” for the property to continue as a pub due to the “low level of interest” locally and said Tesco had submitted a proposal for the use of the land. area after viewing the site in December 2022.

The conversion is to be decided by a planning inspector after the applicant made an appeal because the council was taking too long to make a decision on the scheme. The authority argued that this was because the applicant and the agent were late in providing adequate information for the proposal.

Greenwich Council claimed it would have rejected the proposal based on the “nonsensical design” and a lack of sufficient evidence to support the loss of the pub. The authority also claimed that interior work to function rooms in the building did not require planning permission and was aware of damage to the structure from squatting and the cannabis farm.

A spokesman for Greenwich Council added: “We sympathize with residents who have been affected by the closure of the White Swan, but as this is a live investigation it is not possible to comment further. We are also in communication with Croydon Council officers to discuss this. . If neighbors have any concerns about the site, they can be reported to [email protected].”

Mendoza Limited and Jenkins Law were approached for comment but did not respond by the time of publication.

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