Published: Wednesday, 25th April 2018

The Royal Borough of Greenwich has won a legal battle against a developer who turned the Eagle Tavern in Shooters Hill into self-contained flats without proper planning permission.

In May last year the Royal Borough of Greenwich issued an enforcement notice against the unauthorised development of the former Eagle Tavern into nine self-contained flats.

Planning permission had been granted on the property in 2014 but only for five flats.

The property owners Winerose Limited appealed the decision claiming the breach was not a conversation to flats but a 'House of Multiple Occupation (HMO)' and/or bedsits.

Officers from the Planning Inspectorate inspected the property and backed the Council's decision. The appeal was dismissed and the enforcement notice was upheld.

The Council became aware of the breach of planning permission after responding to neighbours' concerns about waste, overcrowding and excessive noise from the property.

The developers now have four months to cease residential use as it is, or nine months to implement the development in accordance with the approval previously granted for five flats.

'Developers must follow the rules'

A spokesperson for Royal Borough of Greenwich said: "The Council is committed to working with developers to increase the number of homes available in the borough but developers must follow the rules and not be allowed to ride roughshod over planning restrictions."

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