The Forestdale Arms lives to fight another day.

The pub in Featherbed Lane was under threat of being turned into a drive-thru takeaway after a planning application was submitted in January.

Although it was not known at the time what food company would be occupy the newly built takeaway, it was believed that it would open seven days a week and employ roughly 40 people.

"It has been demonstrated that the existing public house which occupies the application site is not a ‘community pub’ and therefore the replacement of the public house with a new unit comprising a mixed A3/A5 use incorporating a ‘drive-thru’ facility would be acceptable in principle," the application wrote in the planning statement."

But that application was subsequently refused, saving the pub from demolition.

The landlady of the Forestdale, Jo Ormrod, was more than pleased by the news.

"I just wanted to tell everyone that the planning was refused by Croydon Council on Friday (Mach 23) and that we are open for business as usual," she said.

The proposal was met with quite a bit of anger when first proposed, with more than 300 people objecting to the plans, while only 11 supported the idea.

Complaints seemed to centre on one of two things, that the traffic would problematic as people queue for the drive thru, and the impact that the loss of a local pub would have on its community.

This seemed to be something the planning officer took into account, stating in his report on why he recommended refusal that "the proposal would result in the loss of a public house which displays the characteristics of a community pub.

"The proposal would increase the number of vehicle and pedestrian movements to and from the site, therefore increasing the potential for congestion, vehicle/pedestrian conflict and exacerbate the potential for road accidents, compromising highway safety."