The George and Dragon pub in Hackney is to close after a lease review dramatically increased the cost of the rent.
The George and Dragon is another LGBT venue which is set to close with the pub owner, Richard Battye blaming a lease increase which he decribed as “dramatic.”
The pub, which was opened in 2002, still has seven years remaining on the lease, but the owners don’t feel that they will be able to meet the payments so have decided to sell on the pub “a little earlier than intended.”
The owners are actively looking for a new space so there is hope that the George And Dragon will exist as an LGBT space in the future.
Battye said in a Facebook post,
“We will be looking for a new opportunity and hope very much that some of our dear G&D fans will be able to join us on this new journey soon.
“We’ll try to be as open as we can throughout this process as we’d love as friends as possible to join us for a drink as we begin to bid farewell to our beloved old pub.”
A number of LGBT pubs and bars have closed in the past year.