An old police station in Camberwell is set to become a hospitality venue with a bar and accommodation.
The site at 22A Camberwell Church Street, once made headlines when it was occupied by activist squatters, and will soon welcome paying guests for drinks and a night’s stay.
The property is being actively advertised to businesses, and Southwark Council has approved planning permission for the property to be redeveloped in line with a wider action plan for Camberwell.
Speaking with those who live in the area, the news that the property will soon be a working business was met with positivity.
Sam, 33, a Camberwell resident who works in a nearby dry cleaners, said: “The more the merrier. It is better than it sitting empty.
“I was glad to hear that planning permission had been granted. Normally as soon as someone wants to do something, a hundred people object.”
Fellow resident Victoria, 37, said: “I always think new business in the area is a good thing.”
The council’s action plan for Camberwell aims to “improve the streets and environment whilst respecting the local character of the area” by creating the environment for new shops, workspaces, entertainment, culture, and leisure.
However, the decision is not entirely uncontroversial.
The closing of the police station in 2019, amidst council budget cuts, left Camberwell without an accessible police station.
The activist group occupied the building for one month in protest of increased police powers, and called for the property to be turned into a community space or affordable housing.
A few years after their eviction, in May 2023, attempts to secure planning permission to work on the property began.
An amended plan was approved by the council in June, and further checks have since been made, and the green light has been given for redevelopment.
Reflecting on the property, the letting agent in charge of finding the building’s new occupants, Rob Meadows, expressed his excitement about the building and its future.
But he added: “It is not a property without challenges for a new business catering to the current market.
“Some of the old police cells at the back are still in place, but the building is largely what we call a shell and core.”
That means whoever takes it over will have a lot of work to do.
Meadows confirmed there were interested parties but there is currently no clear timescale for immediate next steps.
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