Closed Fulham pub The Redback could gain an extra floor and a bigger basement

The Redback, the Fulham Road pub known for club nights packed with Australian, New Zealand and South African drinkers, could reopen with an added storey, rear extensions and a larger basement under a planning application lodged within the past month or so.

What the Fulham Road planning application proposes

The application, made in the name of K El Jalek, seeks a new floor at roof level, extensions at the back on the first and second floors and an enlarged basement. It describes the scheme as a refurbishment of the pub. The new floor space would be used for function rooms, while the basement would hold ancillary facilities.

Other records link the same name to the building. Earlier this year council officers approved a licensing application that asked for him to be made the designated premises supervisor. Companies House records also name a Khaled El Jalek as the only director of 490-492 Fulham Road Ltd, a company set up last December and named after the pub’s address. Colliers, the property firm that marketed the lease with a late-night licence, confirmed a new lease had been agreed with a client for restaurant and bar use but would not name the operator.

Why The Redback closed

The venue has been shut for more than two years, since its operator RedCat Leased Pubs Limited went into administration. A former member of staff said at the time that Fridays and Saturdays had stayed busy but midweek trade had dropped away since Covid.

Squatters then moved into the building and are said to have held unlicensed music events there until police removed them. Greg Hands, who formerly represented Chelsea and Fulham for the Conservatives, posted a video message saying the pub would stay shut for three months.

The building is said to date back to the mid-19th century and has changed its name several times in the past 20 years. It traded as Fiesta Havana, became Slug@Fulham in 2013 and took The Redback name in 2019. Imperial College sports teams were also regulars.

Who owns the building

The operator and the freeholder are separate. Land Registry records show the building changed hands in December 2014 for £3.3 million, bought by the company that still holds the freehold, Ilona House Investments Limited. Its directors are Mark Quinn and Howard Raymond. Howard Raymond is the son of the late Paul Raymond, whose company Soho Estates owned property in Soho.