Academy, Notting Hill

Built in 1851 as the Crown, which it remained until 1987.

The original owners, the Wellington Pub Company, disputed an application made to register the pub as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) made by local community group, the Norland Conservation Society, but lost. The pub remained in use class A4, a pub with ancillary residential accommodation. In 2019 the then owners decided to use the first and second floors as a self-contained residential property and removed the staircase between the ground and first floors. The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea issued an Enforcement Notice instructing them to reverse what they had done. They appealed to the Planning

Inspectorate but not only was the Enforcement Notice upheld but retrospective planning permission for the illegal works was refused.

In Nov. 2014 Kensington & Chelsea Council issued its first Article 4 direction for a pub to prevent change of use for this venue without needing planning permission. Re-nominated as an Asset of Community Value by the Norland Conservation Society and reconfirmed in the Council ACV register on 21 Jan 2020 ref ACV/19/08067.

An application Ref PP/21/00816, dated 5 February 2021, was refused by notice dated

25 August 2021. An appeal APP/K5600/W/22/3293575 was dismissed dated 17 Feb 2023.

The site was sold by auction in May 2024 for £2.5 million. In the absence of a certificate of lawful development the purchaser does not have a planning consent. The 2018 consent lapsed on 11 June 2021 whilst the application (CON/21/03898) was received on 14 June 2021 (ie 3 days after the 2018 consent had lapsed). A new planning application will hence be required for any development.