Plans to bulldoze a historic pub to make way for new homes were rejected by councillors.

Members of Harrow Borough Council’s planning committee refused planning consent for the demolition of the Letchford Arms, in Hatch End.

Councillors turned down the application due to concerns over the marketing of the premises and the search to find a new land lord for the pub before it was sold for development.

Plans for the Letchford Terrace site, off Headstone Lane, included the demolition of the 1920s pub and the construction of six three-storey houses with parking.

Council planning officers had originally recommend approving the plans.

A decision had been deferred by the planning committee in February to allow for further analysis of the significance of the historical importance of the building and the applicant’s marketing exercises.

The pub had been closed down in 2012 after police got a court order following a spate of incidents including reports of drug use and violence and drug use.

A public house, including stables, had been on the site since 1896 and the structure was rebuilt in 1928.