Local News Stories

Anger as local pub targeted by fast food giants

The news that fast food giants McDonald’s are eyeing up ‘The Dutch House’ pub in Eltham in order to make way for a new drive-thru store has been met with disdain amongst local residents, with regulars calling the move ‘disgusting’ and ‘obscene’.

Plans for the Sidcup Road pub to become a McDonald’s were submitted to Greenwich Council last month and locals are facing a nervous wait to see if the restaurant gets the go ahead.

Built in the 1930’s and famed for its striking architecture, the Dutch House has been a pillar of the community for many generations and local residents have already taken action against the proposals.

A petition opposing the plans has already received 420 signatories and over 100 locals attended a “Save The Dutch House” awareness day at the pub this week. Speaking at the event, local resident Mike Bristow, 26, expressed his disgust at the plans; “I think it’s just absolutely ridiculous and above all sad really. My dad and granddad have been coming here on weekends for years along with half the community. It just makes no sense and is pure greed if you ask me. It’s obscene. There are already two McDonald’s in Eltham as it is so I really don’t understand the thought behind it. I just hope that we can put a stop to it, as it would be a real loss to the community. So many pubs are being forced to shut and down and it’s sad to see.”

In the past decade alone more than 1,300 pubs in London have been forced to close down and local Eltham MP, Clive Efford, has thrown his weight behind the ‘Save The Dutch House’ campaign to ensure that it doesn’t become another statistic.

Speaking on his official Facebook site, Efford offered his unequivocal support for the pub; “ We have lost too many of our local pubs and closing the Dutch House will rob the Horn Park estate and the surrounding community of one of the few amenities in the area that provide a focal point for local people. In the past planners have not respected the role of the local pub in the culture of our society and allowed too many of them to be knocked down or converted into something else. Whatever the future holds for this site, there must be a local pub on it.”

Efford has also submitted an opposition letter to the Greenwich council citing that a McDonald’s would “increase traffic, have an effect on the health of the local area and lead to the loss of an important local amenity to the community.”

Eltham resident, Janet Woods, 63, believes that the threat of closure is no surprise and is reflective of the way local businesses are heading. “It’s terrible news but that’s the world we live in. Corporations are destroying the high street and the fact is that local businessmen simply cannot compete. I remember spending many an evening at the pub growing up and it’s sad that with every generation it seems that a sense of community is lost.”

The proposal is currently subject to planning approval and if you want to be a part of the ‘Save The Dutch House’ campaign you can show your support by signing up to the official Facebook page, ‘Save the Dutch House Pub, Eltham’.