Blackfen micropub plan brings another pub to Bexley borough

Blackfen could see a new micropub after plans were submitted within a unit on Wellington Parade.

Applicants are looking to open at Bluestar plumbing and install sound insulation.

Being a micropub early closing is proposed with opening hours being:

• 11:00 to 22:30 Monday to Friday
• 11:00 to 22:30 Saturday
• 11:00 to 22:30 Sundays and Public Holidays

They state “there shall be no food preparation or primary cooking of hot food to customers on the premises (other than pre-packaged bar snacks)”

In keeping with other micropubs, they also plan “no live music played at the premises and any amplified sound shall be restricted to a level that is inaudible within any residential premises”.

A form within the application reveals a planned start on-site date of May 2022 with completion by July.

Growth area

Bexley borough is a hotbed for micropubs with another approved at 17 Wellington Parade in 2019.

It’s hard to see many downsides to such growth, with often vacant shop units in parades brought back into use and now serving a market not always catered for as larger pub groups shut up shop.

They also bring footfall to nearby units and in turn create hubs within the community, often providing an excellent range of drinks and in some towns offer that where such a choice hasn’t existed for decades.

In Greenwich, a micropub has recently won south east London pub of the year from CAMRA. The River Ale House provides a great range of drinks in east Greenwich.