Historic Croydon pub with RAF links remains boarded up – Now residents are taking action

The Kenley Hotel has been described as the historic heart of the area, but it has been boarded up to the public since last August

Hundreds of residents are backing a campaign to save a historic Croydon pub they say is the “heart of the community”.

They hope to reopen the Kenley Hotel, on Godstone Road in Kenley, as a “multi-generational” community hub for local residents, but the building remains in legal limbo under its multinational brewery owners.

The Kenley Hotel sits in the centre of the small South Croydon community, having stood on Godstone Road for at least the past 150 years. However, the prominent Victorian corner plot has been boarded up since August last year, leaving locals without a pub of their own.

“The Kenley Hotel isn’t just a building,” said Kenley resident Fareita Yudoh. “It’s a landmark woven into our local identity — a place where generations have gathered, celebrated and connected.”

Not content with its current closure, Fareita and members of the Kenley and District Residents’ Association (KENDRA) have now submitted an application for the pub to be designated an Asset of Community Value (ACV).

“This means its use as a community pub has to continue for the next five years,” Fareita told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). “So even if we as a community can’t afford to buy the freehold and run it as a community pub, someone else could come along and run it as a pub rather than a supermarket or something that is not needed in Kenley.”

This status is reserved for pubs and other buildings that local authorities deem to have significant social value, and if an ACV-listed pub is sold, communities are given a six-week window to register an interest in purchasing it.

The campaign group, which counts more than 150 members, is also establishing a Community Benefit Society (CBS) to support its ACV application. This democratic, not-for-profit model allows communities to own and run local assets on a one-member, one-vote basis, with an asset lock preventing private sale or profit.

Pub’s RAF links

The hotel has a colourful history dating back to the late Victorian era and shares strong links to the RAF, given its proximity to the Kenley Aerodrome which was used in the Second World War by the RAF. The pub’s sign depicts the iconic Spitfire fighter plane, which flew from the aerodrome during the war.

“Apparently during the Second World War, people having a drink in the Kenley Hotel would dive into the caves opposite when the air raids were happening and then come back and continue with their pint,” Fareita told the LDRS.

However, KENDRA’s ambitions for the Kenley Hotel go beyond simply reopening the building as a pub. Fareita said they hope to transform it into a multi-purpose community venue for use by Kenley’s 14,000-plus residents.

“I don’t think pubs can survive as they once did; it would need to do a little more,” Fareita said. “Upstairs we could have podcasting studios, co-working spaces and places for wraparound care because there are three local schools that are struggling with facilities.”

She said members had also floated ideas for revision clubs, hobby evenings and social events at the venue. The venue is also accessible given its close proximity to nearby Kenley Station.

However, KENDRA says the building’s future now depends on what brewing giant Heineken and its freeholding pub arm, Star Pubs, plan to do with the site.

“If they wanted to deliver genuine social value, they could collaborate with us instead,” Fareita said. “We would welcome a partnership that allows the community to run the venue, protect the building and bring it back into positive use.

“Our aim isn’t conflict — it’s community benefit. We’re building the structure now so that, whatever happens next, Kenley is ready.”

However, Fareita said that both Heineken and Star Pubs have so far been difficult to communicate with. “I have been calling, chasing them on LinkedIn and leaving messages left, right and centre,” she said.

Star Pubs has since confirmed that any future plans for the pub have been put on hold following the death of the previous licensee during their tenancy. A spokesperson told the LDRS: “We are working with solicitors and have been advised that until the matter of the existing leasehold agreement and legal obligations around it are resolved, which they are endeavouring to do, we cannot consider any future plans for the pub.”

Despite this, Fareita said the group remains determined to see the pub returned to community use. She said the group has received support from people involved in successful pub-saving ACV campaigns in Brighton and is hopeful the same approach can succeed in Kenley.

Residents were further galvanised after one of the campaigners, Ian Anderson, produced a video featuring messages from locals about why the building should be protected. One contributor, a KENDRA member named Paul, said: “Once you lose something that is a place where people meet, then other things start to go as well because there is no reason for people to come here.”

Croydon Council now has until June 26 to decide whether to grant ACV status.

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