Council Gives Green Light to Defector's Weld Upgrade
Brewery to make 'large investment' in improving popular Uxbridge Road pub
The Defector's Weld
April 6, 2023
H&F Council has given the green light to plans for a major upgrade of The Defector's Weld, one of Shepherd's Bush's most popular pubs.
Council planners have approved three applications from Young’s & Co to extend the Uxbridge Road pub and add new signs, lighting and tiling.
Architect Samson Associates, acting for Young’s pub and hotel group drew up plans to extend the currently rather dismal courtyard, and alter the outbuilding at the back of the pub. The architect says: “ The applicant is making a large investment in development of the property to provide extended and improved external customer space.”
The roof level of the building to be upgraded
The main proposal in full was:
Partial demolition of the outbuilding to facilitate the expansion of the existing customer courtyard area and erection of new first floor extension at the rear of the property together with new sky lanterns above the roof of the existing ground floor extension; installation of new fencing panels at first floor level to the rear elevation; installation of bi-folding doors at ground floor level to the rear elevation; installation of new windows to replace the existing door and window, installation of new doors with window above to replace the existing doors to western elevation at ground floor level; associated external alterations.
The application said: “There are currently a number of un and under-used spaces on site and a customer demand for more external drinking and dining space. The proposal will provide this additional space by way of part-demolishing outbuildings on site and extending an existing courtyard space. the newly created space will be part covered to reduce visual and noise impact on the neighbouring properties.”
A description of the new courtyard said that the majority is to be raised to the floor level of the pub, and finished with reclaimed granite paving setts, with high level planters containing trailing plants and mirror panels beneath the outbuilding roof.
The plans will also improve the pub's accessibility, with a new fully accessible toilet available within the redesigned outbuilding.
Two further applications, also approved, were to add new signs with the name of the pub at roof level on both the southern and western elevations, plus new brass plaque signs and menu boxes, and new floodlights, brass lanterns and tiling.
The current courtyard area of the Defector's Weld
The new green tiling will be added to the ground floor elevations on Uxbridge Road and Wood Lane, with the architects saying: “ The existing decorated plywood columns are to be replaced with glazed brick slip Victorian Green tiles. Photographs from the 1930s show that the pub was previously tiled at ground floor and the re-introduction of this traditional pub feature will enhance the visual appearance of the pub, street scene and conservation area as a whole.”
Approving the applications, the council planning department said: “ The development, by reason of the design, siting, scale, massing and materials of the proposed external alterations would be considered to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the application property and the surrounding streetscene (including the Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area).
“ The proposal would be considered to mitigate against detrimental harm to the amenity of neighbouring occupants (particularly with regard to noise and disturbance) whilst promoting the night-time economy of the borough.
“The proposal would provide an improvement to the existing inclusive access facilities of the application site, and would mitigate against detrimental harm with regard to highway matters, flood risk and land contamination.”
A previous application submitted last year, envisaging open air customer terraces and semi-internal customer areas within the outbuilding was approved by the council, but restrictions on the terrace's opening hours and requirement for the other areas to be fully internal meant that the scheme was considered unviable by the brewery.
Instead, these “significantly revised and reduced” proposals “have been designed to ensure the pub site continues to preserve and enhance the character and appearance, and identified significance, of the terrace and this part of the Shepherd's Bush Conservation Area.”
A spokesman for Young & Co's Brewery said that the revised application will allow the company to provide improved outdoor space for customers, adding: “The Defector's Weld is a valued part of the Shepherd's Bush community and we're looking forward to making these improvements.”
The applications can be seen in full on H&F Council's website by searching either for Defector's Weld or its address, 170 Uxbridge Road.
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