The Fox and Hounds Surbiton revamp is under way after the south-west London pub closed on Sunday ahead of a £350,000 refurbishment and a name change, with incoming operators also seeking permission to serve alcohol in its car park. The pub, on Portsmouth Road, is due to reopen in November under a new name: The Surbiton Fox.
Star Pubs, the pub arm of Heineken UK, is leading the project. It has applied to Kingston Council for a variation to the pub’s premises licence that would allow alcohol to be sold until 10pm in the car park and outbuildings, in addition to the venue’s existing outdoor areas, for occasional events and community activities.
What was argued at the licensing hearing
At a Kingston Council licensing hearing on Tuesday, incoming operators Paul Reynolds and William Walters set out their vision for the pub. Reynolds said: ‘We want to embed ourselves in the community and get to know everyone because it will be the longstanding success of the pub. It’s reliant on us knowing our neighbours and having good relationships with them.’
The application drew six objections from local residents, who raised concerns about noise from customers in the additional areas. Resident John Gibbard said he supported the refurbishment and the continued operation of the pub, but asked for conditions on the licence requiring customers to leave the proposed extra drinking areas by 10pm and a limit on how frequently events could be held there.
Gibbard said: ‘Those safeguards would not interfere with the £350,000 refurbishment, the garden areas or the normal operation of the pub. They simply ensure that a variation sought for a limited purpose cannot gradually become something materially broader without further scrutiny from this committee.’
Solicitor George Domleo, representing Star Pubs, told the hearing that the venue had revised its original application to address those concerns. He said the extra areas would not become permanent drinking spaces and that the pub would be run responsibly. Domleo said: ‘This is a limited, responsible and evidence-led proposal. It is supported by experienced operators, there is a substantial investment, practical management controls and a firm 10pm terminal hour for external alcohol sales.’
Reynolds echoed that, saying he and Walters were ‘responsible operators’ who would ‘respect our neighbours’ when they take over running the pub in the autumn. The committee is expected to publish its decision in the coming days.
Fox and Hounds Surbiton revamp sits within a broader Heineken push
The refurbishment is part of a larger effort by Heineken UK to invest in its pub estate across Britain. Earlier this year, the Dutch-owned drinks company revealed plans to invest more than £44 million into improvements for hundreds of its UK pubs.
That figure is part of a pattern of sustained spending. According to Heineken Company, the business invested £194 million in improving its pubs between the start of 2020 and the end of 2024. For 2025 alone, Heineken UK has committed £40 million to upgrading and reopening pubs in its Star Pubs division, a programme it says will create nearly 1,000 new jobs across the country.
The Surbiton project fits within that framework. Once the Fox and Hounds Surbiton revamp is complete, the newly renamed venue is expected to create 18 jobs and, in Domleo’s words, bring the premises back into use as a ‘high-quality community pub’.
Licence hours and what happens next
The pub currently holds permission to sell alcohol indoors from 12pm to 11pm on Sundays to Wednesdays, and from 12pm to midnight on Thursdays to Saturdays. The new application seeks to add the car park and outbuildings to those permissions for specific occasions, with a 10pm cut-off for those external areas.
Reynolds and Walters have been clear that their aim is a neighbourhood local rather than a late-night venue. As Reynolds put it, the long-term success of the pub depends on ‘knowing our neighbours and having good relationships with them.’ Kingston Council’s licensing committee is expected to announce its decision shortly.
