Above photo, date unknown.

Above photo, 2006 by Steve Thoroughgood.

Above photo, 2008.

Above Google image, June 2021.

Above sign, date unknown.

From the http://www.newsshopper.co.uk by Linda Piper, Tuesday 1 April 2008.

Four pubs named after failing underage tests.

A TOP policeman has voiced his disappointment four Bexley pubs sold alcohol to underage youngsters in a test purchasing exercise.

The failure comes after a determined effort by Bexley police and the council to stamp out underage drinking in the borough.

This has seen Bexley heralded as the most hard-line authority on licensing in the country.

Named and shamed, the pubs were identified as the "Cross Keys" in Erith High Street; the "Great Harry" in Parsonage Manorway, Belvedere; the "Forresters Arms" in Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, and the "Style and Winch" in Northend Road, Erith.

The pubs also allowed youngsters to gamble on pub premises.

Chief Inspector Steve Murrant is in overall charge of licensing in the borough.

Following the test purchase failures, he said: "After two years of trying to get the message across we will not tolerate irresponsible alcohol retailing in this borough, I am disappointed some licensees still put profit first."

The four pubs were targeted after police received information they were serving alcohol to underage youngsters.

Tests were carried out on March 20 when four young people were sent into the pubs to try and buy an alcoholic drink and play on the gaming machines.

Mr Murrant said he was encouraged people were worried enough to tell their neighbourhood policing teams of their concerns about the pubs.

The staff who sold the booze were each served with an £80 penalty notice and the authorities are now considering what further action to take.

Council leader Councillor Ian Clement said: "We are determined to drive home our commitment towards enforcing the responsible retailing of alcohol."

Bexley has reviewed 32 licences in the two years since the new Licensing Act came into force.

Of these, 14 have either had their licence revoked or the licence holder has surrendered it voluntarily.

And of the remainder, some have had their licences suspended for a period and all have had more stringent conditions applied.

People with concerns about underage drinking and anti-social behaviour can find contact numbers for their safer neighbourhoods teams at www.met.police.uk/saferneighbourhoods or call the community safety hotline free on 0800 389 5013.

From the https://www.newsshopper.co.uk By Alex Marsh, 29th May 2025.

The Great Harry Belvedere pub's fate to be decided at appeal.

A developer has challenged a decision to refuse its bid to knock down a former Belvedere pub and replace it with a block of flats.

Last October, Bexley Council raised a number of concerns about the development in Parsonage Manorway, which would have seen The Great Harry demolished.

Kallarview Developments Limited had initially applied to build 32 flats in a three-storey block on the land, but later reduced their plans to 30 flats.

The local authority accepted that there were “very limited prospects” of the pub, which shut in 2021, being reopened in the “foreseeable future”, and said its demolition would be “acceptable”.

However, planning officers still refused the application, listing seven key concerns.

The developer has appealed the decision, which means an independent planning inspector will now decide whether the plans can go ahead.

Denying the application, Bexley Council told Kallarview that they had not adequately justified the lack of affordable housing in the proposed development.

But the developer has said that a new assessment of the financial viability of the scheme suggests that it would not be possible to provide any affordable housing.

The council also raised concerns that the design of the building would be detrimental to the character of the local area, and that seven of the flats would have a “substandard” outlook.

Bexley Council has raised concerns about the design of the proposed blockBexley Council has raised concerns about the design of the proposed block (Image: Proun)

Kallarview has claimed this assessment is “subjective” and that the scheme “is not of poor design quality” and has “evolved through a fully explained, iterative design process”.

They added that the view from these flats would not result in residents having unacceptable living conditions as they look out onto a garden and patio space.

The council also objected to the small amount of outdoor space, the isolated location of the accessible flats in the block and the lack of urban greening.

The developer claims garden space is “generous” and that the accessible flats have been located as close to their dedicated parking spaces as possible.

Planning officers also said that the new block would overlook a neighbouring home, but Kallarview says that the two buildings would be separated by 19 metres, claiming this is “in excess of what would normally be expected”.

A Planning Inspectorate hearing is now set to begin next Wednesday (June 4).