The ground floor of the Denmark Arms pub in East Ham is up for rent after councillors refused to let it become a mini-casino.
Property developer 311 Investments Ltd had claimed the vacant pub would be left “unloved, unused and going to decay” if the conversion was not approved.
Estate agent Claridges is now advertising the ground floor to let at £125,000 a year.
Newham Council’s local development committee voted unanimously to refuse planning permission for the conversion on Wednesday 24 June.
Slot machines
Representatives of 311 Investments had argued that lack of business meant there was “no way those premises will open as a public house”.
They said they had bought the lease for the ground floor intending to convert it into an adult gaming centre filled with slot machines. They argued this was “one of the only uses that is likely to work at these premises”.
However, council planning officers said 311 Investments had not proved it was not possible for The Denmark Arms to remain as a pub.
They also said conversion would lead to an “over-concentration of gambling uses” in the area.
A listing to let the ground floor appeared on Claridges’ website days after the refusal.
The council is also investigating whether unauthorised works have been carried out in the upper floors of the pub, which have been sold under a separate lease. A council spokesperson said the authority had been monitoring the site since February 2026.
Simultaneous
Land Registry documents show SPS Developments Essex – owned by Wanstead-based Dalbir Singh Sanger – bought the building's freehold on 6 August 2025 for £1.5m
A post on Claridges’ Facebook page five days later said the freehold purchase and its re-letting were “simultaneous”.
In a letter to the council on 14 May, Sanger said he had been considering buying the pub a year before he purchased the freehold.
He said there had been “reduced market interest” in the pub, and that this was “clearly reflected in the price ultimately paid for the property”.
Sanger also said that 311 Investments’ agreement to buy the ground floor lease was “the only serious approach we had received in relation to the property”.
The LDRS has not been able to establish who owns the lease for the upper floors.
Floor plans show the upper levels can only be accessed via a central staircase from the ground floor.
Scaffolding
A council spokesperson said: “The council have been monitoring the site since February 2026, when initial concerns were raised regarding scaffolding at the property.
“At that time officers, including those from the council’s design and heritage team, visited the property and confirmed repairs were underway to ensure the roof of the property and windows were watertight and free of defects.”
They added: “The council have subsequently been contacted by residents in relation to allegations relating to works to the upper floors of the property.
“There is ongoing contact with relevant landowners and their appointed planning agents, and a visit has been arranged to assess the full interior condition of the upper floors and to understand what works (if any) have been undertaken that might require the consent of the council.”
The LDRS contacted 311 Investments and SPS Developments for comment but did not receive responses.
