Plans To Reopen the Star and Garter Approved

An empty Putney pub is set to be brought back into use as a boutique hotel, after Wandsworth Council approved the plans. The scheme includes revamping the interior of the Star and Garter Hotel so it can be used as a hotel and restaurant, along with extending the roof at the fourth floor and adding a roof terrace garden above.

Owner Coldunell Ltd, the applicant behind the scheme, plans to convert the landmark building on Lower Richmond Road into a boutique hotel ‘rivalling the best in Europe’. The council’s planning committee green-lit the plans for the venue, which also has an entrance on Putney Embankment, on Tuesday (12 December).

Labour councillor Finna Ayres said she was “delighted” by the plans. She said, “It’s a splendid building with all its pomp… but it gives out bad vibes and has done for years and years and years because of its underuse and a sensation of neglect that emanates from it.”

Labour councillor Paul White added, “I think it’s a really good, imaginative application and I’m sure it’s going to add very much to the entertainment offer in Putney – especially given its position right by the river.”

The hotel is set to have 24 guest rooms and suites, including some with views over the River Thames. It will also have a bistro which could be visited by non-residents as well as hotel guests.

Application documents said the venue was originally built around 1902 as a hotel, but later operated as a pub with function rooms. Coldunell Ltd acquired the property in 2009. The former tenants surrendered their lease in 2019.

Coldunell Ltd found a new operator to manage the venue, who was granted permission by the council in 2020 to refurbish the ground floor to function as a pub and restaurant, while changing the use of the remaining floors into a hotel. But the operator pulled out of the plans due to the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting market uncertainty.

The documents said Coldunell Ltd then decided to take the venue back in hand in 2021. They added it felt the permitted scheme “was not appropriate” and put together new proposals.

The documents said, “The objective is no longer a pub with rooms but rather a functioning boutique hotel with a good-quality restaurant serving not only guests but residents and visitors to the locality.”

They added: “The project represents a step change in the life and perception of the Star and Garter with conversion to a high-quality, boutique hotel that is envisioned as a desirable destination for both locals and visitors alike.

“The standard of accommodation being proposed here, both in terms of design and in the guest offering, will rival that of the best boutique hotels in London and across Europe, drawing new visitors to Putney who otherwise might ordinarily choose to stay more centrally.”

The owner is also considering applying for a partial road closure along Putney Embankment outside the venue to allow for outside seating. This would require a licence from the council and possibly a highways agreement.

Charlotte Lilywhite - Local Democracy Reporter

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