Former Mayor of London upset over plans to replace The Queensbury with 56 flats

The former Mayor of London has called for a Willesden Green pub to be saved from demolition after it was revealed that plans have been lodged to turn it into 56 flats.

Ken Livingstone, who served as Mayor of London from 2000 to 2008 and narrowly lost to Boris Johnson this year, told the Times he was upset at the news that developers are planning to tear down The Queensbury pub in Walm Lane and replace it with homes.

Plans were submitted to Brent Council on October 3 by Fairview New Homes which would also see the Conservative club knocked down and replaced with a building between five and seven storeys high.

Mr Livingstone, of Ivy Road, Cricklewood, named the pub as his favourite in an interview with a national newspaper and told the Times that he did not want to see it go.

He said: “What is outrageous about it is that the building itself is one of the few nice ones you have in an area which is not teeming with them.

“It is a really nice pub. You get a decent meal, there is a nice garden outside and you can get to or from it easily with the Tube so near.

“What is nice for me is that we can take Coco (his dog) with us and sit outside. It is a really nice family pub and it will be a real tragedy to lose it. Willesden Green will be a worse place for losing it. We totally oppose it (the plan).”

Mr Livingstone said he had not been able to spend as much time in The Queensbury as he had hoped recently ‘having spent quite a lot of time in the election against Boris’, but added: “I’ll pop in and give them my support. Save The Queensbury.”

Brent Council is currently consulting on the plans and will continue to take opinions and information from residents, customers of the pub and members of the public up until October 26.