London pub owner faces enforcement action after brazenly turning century-old boozer into a discount store

Enforcement action may be taken against the owner of a former West London pub after the historic building was turned into a discount store without the necessary planning permission.

If no response is received the next step is enforcement. This can range from issuing a stop notice to obtaining a court injunction.

Arora Family, an Ealing-based real estate business, was approached for comment though had not responded at the time of publication.

The Hammersmith Ram on King Street has a history going back to the 18th century, when it was known as The Great Angel.

The existing building dates back to 1930, with Young’s purchasing the pub in 1966. Its name was changed to The Builders Arms the same year, before becoming the Hammersmith Ram in 1996 after the brewery’s logo.

It was sold in July to Arora Family, though within weeks had reopened under the name ‘Discount Store’ flogging items from pots and pans to suitcases.

The Hammersmith Ram was closed and turned into a discount store

LDRS

The change from a pub to a shop has led to concern not only because of the loss of the Hammersmith Ram, but also the apparent lack of necessary planning permission.

To reopen as a store the freeholder should have applied to Hammersmith and Fulham Council for a change of use, though this appears not to have been done.

As revealed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), the freeholder claimed it intended the premises to remain as a pub and is in the process of identifying a new hospitality provider.

A spokesperson said the current occupier was introduced on a temporary basis after squatters moved into the building.

They added Arora Family was “urgently reviewing the situation” as it appeared the occupier had acted outside the terms of the agreement.

The LDRS has since been told the store is being run by a company called Retail 11.

However when we visited last week and spoke to the sole employee on-site we were told a company called Nyra was running the premises.

The same employee said Nyra are not on Companies House but that they are properly registered.

They also said the store has permission to operate from the building, and that they are not a temporary occupier as Arora Family claimed but are expecting to be based there long-term.

The LDRS put a series of questions to Arora Family, including why Retail 11 were considered appropriate to take on the premises given the intention to run it as a pub and if they are aware of a company called Nyra managing the store.

We received no response. We also were unable to contact either Retail 11 or Nyra for comment.

Local ward councillors Callum Nimmo and Molly Mantle previously told the LDRS in a joint statement it is “extremely disappointing to see [the pub] close and then, seemingly without any public notice or consultation, quickly open as a shop.

“Residents and the many well-run businesses along King Street are expected to follow the rules, and this shouldn’t be any different.”

They added this comes at a time when the Labour Party has made saving pubs a national priority. “It would be a shame for Hammersmith to lose a pub with this much history just as the government is trying to reverse the trend of closures.”