Licensee to appeal roof terrace plan refusal

Joel Czopor of the Grafton in Kentish Town, north-west London, took on the pub in May last year and re-opened it in September after a major refurbishment.

Czopor said that the planning permission was refused because of noise disturbance and was told that the roof terrace will “detract from the look of the building and the look of the local area”.

He has set up a petition to support his appeal and has got almost 650 signatures.

“We are a young business which has worked tirelessly to make the Grafton a pub that Kentishtowners can be proud of and it is a stark
reality that our summer months here will always be a challenge unless we can develop some outside space,” said Czopor.

“I feel like we’ve done so much to the pub trying to put it back to its original state, and this is something that we need for the summer.

“We were told that no redesign would have been acceptable and that the concept was unacceptable in principle. This greatly saddens and disappoints us as all we have tried to do from day one is return the Grafton back to its former glory.

“We are about to have the outside painted to soften it, but still feel that the roof
terrace is an under-used facility that would make the Grafton one of the best pubs in the local area.”

After several attempts to get a response from Camden City Council, there was no comment from the council.

Visit http://bit.ly/175A8YJ​ for more information on the petition.