Bingo Hall Proposal Made for Hammersmith Ram Site
Change of use expected to meet opposition from those wishing to keep pub
A discount store is currently operating from the former pub's premises
September 16, 2026
The future of the former Hammersmith Ram on King Street has taken another turn with a new planning application now submitted to Hammersmith & Fulham Council. The proposal, lodged under reference P/2026/02286/FUL and currently out for consultation, seeks permission to convert the ground floor of the historic pub into a bingo hall. The application has been made by LCE Property Ltd, a company incorporated only in April, and represents the first formal attempt to establish a lawful new use for the building after recent controversy.
Young’s closed the pub permanently on 26 July this year, selling the freehold to the Arora Family, an Ealing-based property group. Within weeks, however, the doors reopened not as a pub but as a discount store selling household goods, luggage and cookware — and crucially, without the necessary planning permission.
The unauthorised change of use prompted the council to issue a formal warning to the freeholder, giving them until 22 September to respond or face enforcement action. The council made clear that the next steps could include a stop notice or even a court injunction. The Arora Family initially told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the shop was a temporary occupier installed after squatters entered the building, and that the intention remained to reopen the premises as a pub. They said they were urgently reviewing the situation after it appeared the occupier had acted outside the terms of their agreement. However, this was disputed by staff at the shop who insisted the shop was there to stay and had permission of the owners to do so.
The new planning application from LCE Property Ltd appears to be an attempt to regularise the building’s future use. The proposal argues that a bingo hall is an appropriate town-centre leisure use, compliant with both the London Plan and the borough’s Local Plan. It emphasises that no external alterations are proposed, that alcohol would not be served, and that the venue would operate as a community-focused leisure space offering social interaction and accessible entertainment. The applicant also stresses that bingo halls generate footfall, support linked trips to nearby shops and cafés, and contribute to the vitality of King Street.
Under planning law, a change of use between different sui generis categories — such as from a pub to a bingo hall — requires explicit permission. The earlier reopening as a shop also required permission, which was not sought. The council’s enforcement warning reflects this legal requirement and the need to ensure that changes to high-street premises are properly regulated. Normally an applicant would need to demonstrate that a pub was unviable at a location before a change of use is granted.
Local councillors Callum Nimmo and Molly Mantle had criticised the earlier unauthorised change of use, saying it was extremely disappointing to see a historic pub close and reopen as a shop without any public notice or consultation. They pointed out that the Labour Party has made saving pubs a national priority, and that it would be a shame for Hammersmith to lose a pub with such a long history just as the government is trying to reverse the trend of closures.
The application is now open for public comment. If approved, the bingo hall would replace the pub permanently. If refused, the building’s future remains uncertain, particularly given the unresolved questions about the discount store currently trading on site. For now, the Hammersmith Ram stands at the centre of a debate about heritage, high-street vitality, planning enforcement and the future of leisure uses in Hammersmith’s town centre.
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