Half Moon Roof Terrace Plan Would 'Invade Privacy' Say Neighbours

Brewery wants to add enclosed space to popular music pub

A visualisation of the new terrace at the Half Moon submitted with the application

July 4, 2023

Brewery plans to build an enclosed roof terrace with retractable roof at the Half Moon pub in Putney have been met with a string of objections from residents on the grounds of increased noise and an invasion of privacy.

Young’s want to create the terrace area at the first-floor level of the Lower Richmond Road pub, which is a renowned music venue as well as a ‘locally listed’ Edwardian building.

Consultants working on behalf of the brewery have applied to Wandsworth Council to build the 662 sq m glass-enclosed roof terrace on top of the existing single storey element of the landmark building, which has been in use as a pub since 1903.

But the council has already had six formal objections to the scheme, with five coming from residents in John Keall House in Henry Jackson Road, which backs directly onto the Half Moon pub.

Nicola Crowther said, "My flat in John Keall House backs directly on to the Half Moon Inn. The roof terrace will block light and view from our bedrooms, bathrooms and outdoor recreational areas. This is a valuable, private space for children and adults important for mental wellbeing and a safe area for children to relax and play.

"The noise from drinkers and music will be directly and very close to our bedroom windows. This is not fair on working residents who should not have their bedtime dictated by pub closing times.

"The well-being of residents in John Keall House and other neighbouring accommodation must be taken into consideration."

Fellow resident Clare Griffiths agreed: "My main objection is the noise level, due to recent refurbishments over the past two years, the noise level has drastically increased and is already at the point where local residents, including myself, cannot open windows as the music and loud crowd noise goes on until well after midnight. This is particularly bad during the summer evenings, a time when you need to open windows," she stated.

Other objections from John Keall House residents included the proximity of planned ventilation pipes to their clothes drying area, an increased risk of littering and the obstruction of existing views.

Michael Berring, living opposite the pub in Lower Richmond Road, said he would lose all privacy in the main room of his flat. “The proposal as outlined means that during the hours of operation I would have a large number of patrons overlooking into my flat giving me little to no privacy,” he said.

But a report prepared in support of the application says national planning policy “makes clear that Councils should plan positively for community facilities including public houses…and it follows that public house owners and operators should be supported in their proposals to improve and reinvigorate public houses to ensure their future viability.

“The attractive external terrace area is proposed to attract more customers and improve the range of facilities available to patrons. The proposals have been designed carefully to ensure that they respect the existing building and surrounding area.”

An ‘Acoustic Assessment Report’, also prepared on behalf of the applicant, claims analysis shows that the proposal is “acceptable” in terms of noise. It made predictions of customer noise levels from a full terrace and said the average noise levels at various stages of the day would not cause any adverse effect to be observed.

Sally Arnold, the Associate Director of consultancy Planning Potential added: “In an era where many public houses are closing, it is considered that applications such as this should be supported.”

One independent comment in support of the scheme came from someone who did not want to be identified. “The Half Moon is an iconic pub and local institution, and we need to support its development so it can continue to thrive and continue to serve our community for years to come.

“The on-trade has endured significant headwinds since the pandemic and we need to ensure we are supporting their requirements to survive. The Half Moon provides a space to meet, eat and listen to live music for local residents and is a key business on Lower Richmond Road,” they said.

Wandsworth Council is accepting comments on the plans until 6 July . You can find out more by searching for application number 2023/2060 on the council’s planning explorer.