Michael Gannon, 75, suffers from osteoarthritis across most of is body which makes walking down stairs especially difficult
A disabled West Londoner is “furious” that his seven-year battle to get an accessible toilet reinstated at his local theatre has still not resulted in the facility reopening.
Michael Gannon, 75, suffers from osteoarthritis across most of his body which makes walking down stairs especially difficult.
Before the toilet was removed in 2019, Mr Gannon was a regular at the 55-seat Finborough Theatre in Kensington, located above what was once the Finborough Arms pub.
Like many small arts venues, the Finborough Theatre relied on the venue situated below for toilet facilities. But in 2019 the pub replaced the disabled toilet with a kitchen and Mr Gannon says people like him with mobility issues have not been able to comfortably visit the theatre since.
A new business – Yogi’s Kensington, an Asian fusion restaurant – has now taken over the space used by the pub, but it has not reinstated the disabled restroom facilities, and efforts by the council to encourage it to do so have not helped.
Disabled users of both the new restaurant and theatre now find it harder, or impossible, to use the other toilets available on site.
‘No justification for what happened’
Mr Gannon, who also has stage four prostate cancer, now faces two flights of stairs to go to the toilet rather than one, when using the theatre.
“There’s absolutely no justification for what happened. What annoys me perhaps in a needful measure is the failure of the council to rectify this,” he said.
Despite complaining to Kensington and Chelsea Council, Michael says the authority has been unable to force the issue.
Mr Gannon said he is now “reluctant” to use the theatre, especially because he takes medication which makes him drowsy and unsteady.
“You just get so reluctant [due to the fear] of accidents, as you get older, the threat of falling unfortunately increases,” he said.
In 2019, the former pub manager told Mr Gannon that it had sought permission from the council before replacing the accessible toilet with a kitchen. It said that the business had applied for a change of use, which was granted by the council.
However it was alleged at the time this was untrue and in 2020 the Disability News Service reported that Kensington and Chelsea Council was investigating the issue. The council said at the time the toilet, if it had been removed without permission, would need to be reinstated to comply with building regulations.
The pub was later replaced with Yogi’s restaurant. In early 2025, Mr Gannon complained directly to the council, who told him that it would write to the new restaurant owners about their failure to reinstate the toilet. Several months later, the council told Mr Gannon there was nothing they could do as they could not confirm who was responsible for the disabled toilet being removed in the first place.
A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: “We recognise the real impact that a lack of accessible facilities can have on people who rely on them.
“Historical cases fall outside of our ability to take formal action under building regulations, and the provision of an accessible toilet is ultimately a matter for the building owner and tenant.”
Neither a representative for the former Finborough Arms or Yogi Kensington replied to the LDRS’ request for comment.
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