Croydon (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Leslie Arms owner Ansari is seeking to sidestep planning conditions imposed by Croydon Council, raising concerns over development compliance and oversight.
A multimillionaire real estate entrepreneur has been letting a Grade II-listed tavern deteriorate since 2000. He now wishes to modify the terms of his most recent planning approval. Town Hall reporter Ken Lee discusses the tragic story of a significant Addiscombe monument.
The Leslie Arms is one of the most depressing places in a town full of depressing sights.
The elegant Grade II-listed structure, which has been a landmark at the intersection of Lower Addiscombe Road and Cherry Orchard Road since 1900, was constructed to replace a tavern of the same name that was established in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign.
In its prime, it was a bustling neighborhood hostelry that hosted live music performances and served as a location for numerous family get-togethers and neighborhood gatherings.
However, about 25 years ago, The Leslie ceased operations as a bar.
Dr. Anwar Ansari, a well-known local real estate developer, purchased the building in 2000. Since then, local politicians and resident organizations have been engaged in an apparently never-ending struggle to keep the Leslie Arms’ basement and ground floor, with their historic Victorian fixtures and fittings, open to the public.
Ansari has submitted 24 planning applications for the property since 2001, according to Croydon Council‘s planning record; the most recent updates were published on Tuesday of this week.
Each application for full planning permission must be accompanied by a separate application for listed building consent, and there is overlap between these tandem applications because the Leslie Arms is Grade II-listed (“It is crucial that pieces of our heritage such as this are protected,” the Victorian Society has stated of the Leslie).
Up until 2019, Ansari’s applications were primarily concerned with building extensions and cutting conversions from the upper floors.
His subsequent application appeared to acknowledge that he also needed to concentrate on “community use.” Before addressing the business aspect of adding two more apartments, he placed support for ground-floor community use in the application’s foreground.
The Addiscombe West council members kept themselves updated on the application’s status. It was proposed that Ansari would like to rent the community area for £5,000 a month. The kind of money that a non-profit organization would never be able to afford in the actual world.
The planners gave the application careful consideration. It took almost four years for approval to be given.
The 12th of those conditions stipulated that:
“The proposed ground floor community use element (as shown on the approved plans) shall only be used for the provision of a café… and community use (… not including a place of worship) and for no other purposes.”
A Section 106 agreement between Croydon Council and Ansari stipulates that in exchange for planning clearance, a developer must pay the authority for the development or enhancement of local infrastructure. According to this S106, Ansari had to finish fixing the pavement and highway on the section of Lower Addiscombe and Cherry Orchard Roads where his property is located before the additional apartments could be occupied.
Perhaps it would be worthwhile to briefly introduce Dr. Anwar Ansari, who is 67 years old.
He has amassed enormous money through his several companies, such as AA Homes and Housing. He was said to own properties valued at over £170 million five years ago.
He used to be a liberal local and national supporter of the Labour Party. When Labour regained control of Croydon Town Hall in 2014, Tony Newman’s victory celebration was funded by real estate developer Ansari. Ansari contributed tens of thousands of pounds to Sadiq Khan’s bid to be Labour’s candidate for London Mayor and to Yvette Cooper’s campaign to become the party’s leader in 2015.
However, Ansari has also frequently flirted with scandal, entering a High Court case against his old friends over the Labour-run council’s landlord licensing process and being charged with creating dangerous conditions in some of the apartments he converted from office complexes in downtown Croydon.
His three huge Turkish guard dogs broke out of the enclosure of Coombe Farm, another Ansari-owned property, attacked joggers and other canines in Lloyd Park, and slaughtered a family’s flock of hens. This led to his most recent conviction and £65,000 payment. According to Dr. Ansari, he is contesting his conviction.
It would be impossible to characterize Ansari’s dedication to providing community space at the Leslie Arms as enthusiastic. Therefore, it may not come as a surprise that he has carried out what seems to be a total 180-degree turn around on his planning consent.
He wants to classify the ground floor and basement as flexible commercial, business, and service space in his proposal to the council planners this week. Farewell, community. Hi there, maximum yield.
When he purchased the Leslie Arms in 2000, it was never a typical investment. He was aware that he was purchasing a sizable, historically significant, Grade II-listed structure, along with all of the responsibilities and frequently expensive upkeep that should accompany it. A particular responsibility of care should be required for such ownership.
Dr. Ansari should be made to follow the agreed-upon planning restrictions and take all the required actions to remove the Leslie Arms from the At Risk register.
He should charge a rent that a non-profit organization might afford and deliver the ground floor community space that he promised six years ago. The other components of the building will continue to bring in a lot of money for him.
What specific planning conditions does Owner Ansari want to avoid at Leslie Arms in Croydon?
In particular, owner Ansari wants to get around a planning requirement associated with a Section 106 (S106) agreement for the Croydon location of Leslie Arms. According to this stipulation, Ansari must finish fixing the nearby pavement and highway before any new apartments on the property can be occupied.
This requirement’s goal is to guarantee that the project includes the improvement or restoration of the public infrastructure surrounding the development. Ansari is trying to delay or eliminate this responsibility, which is a major cause of dispute with the locals and Croydon Council.