Signs of Life at the Old Station House


New management recruiting staff with reopening planned at the Grove Park pub


Barrels of beer and spirits being delivered. Picture: The Old Station House/Facebook

Hopes are high for the imminent return of the Old Station House Pub in Grove Park.

Having been closed for some time with an ongoing threat of the conversion of the site into flats, the hoardings have recently been removed and deliveries of beer have been spotted.

A planning application to convert part of the ground floor space into residential was rejected this May and, although permission has been given for four flats to be added at the site, it looks like the owners have accepted that the pub will be operating in its current area.

The earlier plan was for the erection of a second-floor side/roof extension to the building, alterations to part of the ground floor (including a lowering of ground levels) to subdivide the existing single storey addition into two storeys, formation of a basement with a small rear access hatch, and the provision of communal amenity space and split-level outdoor space. This incorporated four flats.

 


The hoardings have been removed from the exterior. Picture: The Old Station House/Facebook

The site remains part of the Punch Taverns leased estate but details are not yet available about the new management. We have attempted to contact them.

They are recruiting for staff and the positions available suggest that the pub will be led by a food-based offering with most of the jobs being offered in the kitchen.

A report commission by the applicant for an earlier planning application said that the pub had an annual a turnover range of around £650,000 to £700,000 before the pandemic. By accepting the second application the council effectively conceded that the pub could be reduced in size.

The Old Station House is one of the original buildings in the area, established as the Grove Park Hotel in 1867, serving for visitors to the Thames via the new overground railway.

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July 10, 2022