The Leader of South Staffordshire Council, Cllr Roger Lees announced on Tuesday 26^th February that the owners of the Crooked House have been ordered to rebuild the pub “back to what it was”, prior to the suspected arson attack and subsequent unlawful demolition last summer. South Staffordshire served an enforcement notice on the owners on Tuesday. The rebuilding must be complied with within three years and the work is not completed within that time, the Council can prosecute them for failure to comply with the enforcement notice. The owners now have 30 days to appeal the decision.

The world famous Crooked House, which has been a pub since the 1830s, was known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub” due to 19th-century mining subsidence which caused one side of the building to be approximately four feet lower than the other side. It was run down and put up for sale by giant pubco Marston’s and sold in July 2023, a value well above that as a pub, to the owners of the landfill suite next to the pub. The pub was gutted in a fire on the 5^th August 2023 and then two days later it was demolished, with the necessary authorisation from the Council. Staffordshire Police are treating the fire as arson, and investigations are ongoing.

Shortly after the fire and subsequent unauthorised demolition of the Crooked House, the Campaign for Pubs wrote to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, calling on him to act to change the law to stop the predatory purchasing and asset-stripping of historic pubs. Campaign Director of the Campaign for Pubs, Greg Mulholland also visited the site and met with campaigners and has supported the campaign with advice and assistance. Greg and James Watson, Campaign for Pubs Pub Protection Adviser also met with Marco Longhi, MP for Dudley, in Westminster to discuss the case. As well as saluting the amazing community campaigners and praising South Staffordshire Council, the Campaign for Pubs is also thanking local elected representatives, especially West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Marco Longhi MP, both of whom have been heavily involved in the campaign to bring the famous Crooked House back to life.

The Campaign for Pubs is now imploring South Staffordshire Council, the Planning Inspectorate and all supportive elected representatives to make sure that the enforcement notice is abided by and that the pub is rebuilt. In the case of the Carolton Tavern, the owners challenged the enforcement notice and then dragged their heels and strong action by Westminster Council ensured that the pub was rebuilt brick by brick and restored to its former glory.

The Campaign for Pubs has also calling for the Crooked House case to be a catalyst for much needed change in the planning system preventing the ‘predatory purchasing’ of pubs to close and redevelop them when there are those who wish to buy it as a pub. The Campaign for Pubs is calling on the Government to introduce it’s Give Pubs Protection policy, which would mean that any historic pub (50 years old or more) couldn’t be sold for alternative use until it had been marketed at the independently assessed value as a pub for at least a year. This would stamp out the way that owners seek to profit from selling pubs at well in excess of their value as a pub for development or conversion.  This simple change would have prevented Marston’s from selling the Crooked House to Oak Farm Quarry Landfill for more than the pub value and would have allowed local buyers or the community to buy the pub, as a pub.

Greg Mulholland, Campaign Director of the Campaign for Pubs said:

“We are absolutely delighted that South Staffordshire Council have done the right and essential thing and ordered the current owners of the Crooked House to rebuild it exactly as it was before its appalling destruction. We commend them for this decision which sends out a clear message to other developers and other councils.

“This is a victory for community campaigning and a victory for pubs. We congratulate and commend the amazing campaigners of the Save the Crooked House (Let’s Get it Rebuilt) campaign. We also thank West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, Marco Longhi MP & councillors who supported the community and fought to get this decision to restore this iconic pub. Now let’s see the Crooked House rebuilt brick-by-brick”.

“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”.

James Watson, Pub Protection Adviser of the Campaign for Pubs said:

“The Campaign for Pubs has long called for greater use of powers available within planning legislation and for more robust enforcement and application of planning policy. We therefore welcome this bold, but necessary step by South Staffordshire Council to issue a firm enforcement notice against the wanton and entirely unnecessary destruction of the historic Crooked House.

We look forward to seeing full compliance with the terms and enforcement notice, and for this iconic up to rise from the ashes. The Campaign for Pub stands ready to support local authorities in robust action against those that would seek to do harm to our historic pubs”.

ENDS