Student Homes Plan For Historic Wimbledon Pub Site

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Proposal to house nearly 300 students in building rising to six storeys

Previous plans for the White Hart pub site

Developers are planning to create a student village in a complex rising up to six storeys on the site of a historic Wimbledon pub.

The site of the former White Hart in Kingston Road has been the subject of several planning applications since the pub closed eight years ago.

Now developers want to house 293 students in a new building ranging in height from four to six storeys.

The site, between Rutlish Road and the Merton Park tram stop, also covers Rutlish Auto Care Centre and Waterfall Garage Services.

Architects Rolfe Judd have asked Merton Council for "pre-application" advice before submitting a full planning application.

They plan to demolish the pub and neighbouring garages to replace it with a 'u'-shaped block for students, with one shop and a main entrance onto Kingston Road.

The scheme is set for discussion at Merton Council's next Design Review Panel, which takes place on August 30. The meeting is not open to the public.

The previous plan, for 56 flats and commercial units, met with mixed local reaction and was given an "amber" verdict by a previous Design Review Panel. Two other earlier applications were also given "amber" verdicts.

Merton Council case officer Tim Lipscomb said in a brief report in advance of the meeting: "This proposal, although similar in site layout and bulk, scale and massing, is different in its type of residential use and in its architectural appearance and is by a different development team."

The plans are scheduled to be discussed for 1 hour and 20 minutes at the panel meeting, which takes place via Zoom. According to the council, members of the panel are "independent professionals working in the built environment field".

White Hart history factfile:

• A pub has understood to have been on the site since at least 1700 and possibly even the 17th century.
• The pub gave its name to the Hart Field the other side of Kingston Road.
• In the 1820s it was the venue for the sale of the nearby Lord Nelson's estate in various lots took place.
• The current building dates back to 1958 after the original was bombed during World War II.

The closed White Hart pub

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August 15, 2022