South Staffordshire Council has issued an enforcement notice against the owners of The Crooked House, ordering them to rebuild the pub over the next three years.
The Crooked House after the fire which gutted it, and prior to its demolition
The enforcement notice is for the unlawful demolition of the building, which is a breach of planning control. It requires the building to be built back to how it was prior to the fire by February 2027.
If the notice is not appealed and not complied with within the time limit, it will be considered that an offence has been committed and the council can prosecute for failure to comply with the notice.
“We are continuing to work with the police and other partners, including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), building control, and Historic England, and our focus is on our own investigation, regarding the planning and building control breaches, with the aim of reaching a positive outcome,” said South Staffordshire Council in a statement.
“This remains our priority, and it is very important that whilst the council is still investigating the incident and considering our legal options and next steps, we do not comment on any element of the ongoing investigation, so that we do not potentially prejudice our enforcement action.
“We continue to urge everyone to stay off the site, not to breach the fencing, nor remove any materials as it may hamper ongoing investigations being carried out by multiple agencies. The land is in private ownership, so making it secure is the responsibility of the site owners.”
The council added: “There are public rights of way running through the site, and Staffordshire County Council has extended the emergency closure notice on them for six months from 23rd September, 2023, for health and safety purposes.
“We have put a blanket tree preservation order on trees adjoining the site to ensure their protection. The Crooked House was not a listed building, but was a non-designated heritage asset, registered on the Historic Environment Record as a building of local importance.
“We are liaising with multiple agencies, and with local MPs and the mayor of the West Midlands.”
Gary Timmins, CAMRA’s pub and club campaigns director, said: “The destruction of the Crooked House was a national tragedy, so it’s fantastic news that the owners have been ordered to rebuild the pub brick-by-brick. This is exactly what we were hoping to hear from South Staffordshire Council, and it’s a testament to the hard work of all the dedicated campaigners who stepped up and fought for the Crooked House.
Greg Mulholland, campaign director of the Campaign for Pubs, said: “The Crooked House case must also be the catalyst for change to stop the deliberate purchasing of valued pubs for redevelopment.
“We need a simple change to planning law so that no historic pub can be sold for alternative use, converted, or demolished until it has been properly marketed for at least a year at the independently valued price as a pub. This would stop the cynical destruction of pubs and allow licensees, local breweries, entrepreneurs, and communities to buy our historic pubs and make a success of them.”
