Estate agents face last orders as council steps in

An estate agency operating out of a 200-year old pub has been ordered by Westminster Council to vacate the premises this month or face formal action. The freeholder of The Star pub in St John’s Wood, West End Investments, decided to close the 200-year old pub earlier this year after acquiring the business in 2014, and let the premises to Champion Estates, sales and letting agents, in March after being refused planning consent by the local authority to convert the property into luxury flats. Addressing the press at the time, Gary Champion, Director of Champion Estates, said, “I’ve had people coming in asking for a beer and going away disappointed. It was a business, not a public service. We’re entitled to make a living like everyone else.” However, the decision to close the pub and replace it with an estate agency sparked outrage among many local residents and drinkers, which included music singers Sir Paul McCartney (left) and Liam Gallagher (below), especially as Westminster Council had listed the pub an Asset of Community Value. But the preservation order issued by the Council was described as useless by Tom Stainer, of the Campaign for Real Ale, who said, “This is just the…