So it looks like the Brixton community really has lost the old Brady’s pub in Atlantic Road for good.
There’s been various community-based campaigns to put the building back into use and a campaign by local paper the Lambeth Weekender, but in the end it turns out we’ve been shafted by Lambeth Council.
Such ass the local interest in this pub that a thread on the urban75 bulletin boards is now 23 pages long and has been seen nearly 37,000 times.
None of this seems to have stopped Lambeth Council flogging off the iconic building in quite singular circumstances.
Paul Hill from the Community Trust sums up the entire fiasco best:
The outline of the Bradys saga is this:
Building derelict. Community bid for community centre. Benefits to community and Lambeth since activities will create self-supporting people thus lightening burden on Lambeth Social Services.
Went through all the hoops Lambeth imposed. Will pay valuer’s estimate of building’s worth. Four years’ work and £80k public money spent.
Despite promises, Lambeth sold building to offshore property speculator.
A year later Lambeth applies for charity grant to pay back the purchase price to property speculator; in effect giving him the building, and, what is more, Lambeth claims the money on the grounds that it has talked to the community about its plans and the community just loves the idea.
In other words: That the very community which fought so hard for for four years to buy the building has now given its blessing to Lambeth giving away the building to an off-shore property speculator.
[source]
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