Confusion reigns over White Swan future as homeless take over from cannabis producers

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

Homeless people have reportedly been given emergency accommodation at an abandoned pub in Charlton village where a cannabis factory was found by police last year.

Croydon council has placed individuals in rooms at the White Swan pub in Charlton, which has sat empty since March 2020, though the authority has said it is investigating this and is ‘reviewing its property procurement processes’.

A Greenwich council spokesman said the authority wants to ensure that everyone living in Greenwich has a safe and secure home and are investigating to ensure the use of the building complies with planning and environmental health legislation.

The pub now appears to have a house number painted on the side of the building and wheelie bins outside the front, though it’s unclear if Croydon council was aware it was placing people in a derelict pub.

An individual living on the site confirmed this week that they had been placed in emergency accommodation there by the council.

The pub closed just before the pandemic, with council documents stating the building dates back to the 19th century when it was reconstructed to be used as a hotel.

Local resident Bridget Duffy, 55, said neighbours noticed squatters occupying the pub for a period of time since its closure, which had ‘wrecked’ the structure.

She said: “It’s a nice family pub and it had been done up really nice. But I think they put the rent up so high that people can’t afford to run a business.” She called the pub ‘a real asset to the village’ but that it had been run down.

Ms Duffy said the dilapidated state of the building has made her worried about the behaviour it may attract. She said the bottom portion of the building was used as a cannabis factory last year.

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

She added: “It obviously 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 spokesman said that officers were called to the pub last September and found a disused cannabis factory, with electrical equipment, plant pots and soil left behind. They said no arrests were made and there were no ongoing investigations into the matter.

A Croydon council spokesman said: “This matter is being investigated and we will work closely with our local authority partner and take actions as needed.

“We are reviewing our property procurement processes to ensure that we continue to offer our residents properties that are good quality and compliant with current standards and legal requirements.”

A petition asking Greenwich council to restore the White Swan into a working pub was presented to the authority this year, after being signed by over 1,200 residents.

The request followed an application last year from the pub’s owner, Mendoza Limited, to convert the building into a set of seven flats with space for a shop on the ground floor.

Planning documents from Jenkins Law, on behalf of the applicant, said that it was ‘unrealistic’ for the property to continue as a pub due to the ‘poor level of interest’ locally, and said that Tesco had sent a proposal to use the ground floor space in December 2022.

The conversion is to be decided by a planning inspector after the applicant made an appeal due to the council taking too long to make a decision on the scheme.

The Greenwich council spokesman added: “We sympathise with residents that have been affected by the White Swan’s closure, but as this is a live investigation, it’s not possible to comment further.”

Mendoza Limited and Jenkins Law have been approached for comment.

Pictured top: The White Swan pub, which closed in March 2020 (Picture: Joe Coughlan)