The Gloucester Arms in Kentish Town and, right, the developer’s drawing of how the site could looks if flats replace the pub

Published: 27 September, 2012
by CLARE HEALY

ONE of the last remaining traditional pubs in Kentish Town is facing closure after property developers unveiled plans to replace it with luxury flats.

The Gloucester Arms in Leighton Road looks set to be replaced by a four-storey private housing development under a scheme revealed to neighbours this week.

It is the latest in an emerging trend of old-style back-street pubs closing down in Kentish Town and Camden Town.
Noreen Flynn, landlady of The Gloucester Arms, said the pub’s finances had been hit by licensing rules and that the closure would be “a good idea for the area”.

She added: “The neighbours were never happy with having a pub around here, there were so many restrictions on the licence.”

But one pub regular, who did not want to be named, said: “It was a good community pub, and still is. Now, this is probably the last standing pub in the area where locals are welcome and is not a gastropub.”

The proposals would mean the creation of 10 flats across two buildings and a ground-floor commercial space for a business.

But residents’ groups have criticised the scale of the scheme.

Derek Jones, who lives in the adjacent Kennistoun House, said it was an “overdevelopment”, adding: “It’s too high and will completely overshadow the surrounding properties, including the housing association bungalows located behind the proposal, which will lose a lot of their natural light.”

David Goreham, who chairs the advisory committee for Kentish Town conservation area, said: “The stark ground floor is more appropriate to a modern shopping mall than to a mainly Victorian residential area.”

The developers are currently consulting on the proposals with residents and businesses in the surrounding area with a view to lodging a planning application.

Tyler Dempsey, of developers Findon Urban Lofts, said: “The current building does not contribute significantly to the street scene.

“We believe that redeveloping the site would not only provide new homes and commercial space for the area, but will also make a positive addition to the local community.”

The developer said the project would create up to 67 jobs and bring “additional surveillance” to the area.