A 300-year-old pub which people rallied to save will not be turned into an Aldi store, it has been confirmed.

There were fears that the Green Dragon Pub, in Green Lanes, Winchmore Hill, was to become a low-budget supermarket after it was closed and bought by Green Lanes Investment in January.

But a spokesperson for Aldi confirmed today that these fears are unfounded.

A statement from the company said: “Aldi consider various sites across London. In this instance Aldi can confirm at this time that they have no active sites in Winchmore Hill and have not purchased the Green Dragon PH. 

“The nearest site Aldi are seeking to deliver is on the Enfield Retail Park along the A10 which has a proposed opening date of late summer 2015.  We look forward to bringing retail choice to Enfield and providing shoppers with high quality products at everyday low prices.” 

More than 4,000 people signed a petition to preserve the pub’s future and have it listed as an asset of community value, something which had been supported by Enfield Borough Council last month.

But the authority rejected its application claiming “it did not meet the strict criteria”.

Mike McClean, organiser of the campaign, said: “We are deeply shocked by this decision and are going to have to think carefully about how to proceed.”