Demolition to halt at ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’ following protest
Demolition work at the site of ‘Britain’s wonkiest pub’ will come to a halt after local residents staged a sit-in protest.
South Staffordshire Council said that a number of its officers had attended the site of The Crooked House in Himley, near Wolverhampton, on Monday 21 August following reports of activity by contractors.
The council said that an agreement had been reached that demolition would cease so that a “comprehensive schedule” of works could be submitted and subsequently reviewed.
Its statement came in response to protests from campaigners and local residents, some of which blocked the entrance to the site to stop a construction lorry from moving.
Workers at the site told reporters they were beginning to clean and store bricks, and assess whether there was any asbestos amongst the rubble.
The historic pub was destroyed by a fire days after being sold to a private buyer. The police are treating the fire as arson.
Earlier this month, the Campaign for Pubs wrote to the Prime Minister calling for an end to the “predatory purchasing and asset stripping of historic pubs”.
The pub was one of 61 put on the market by Marston’s earlier this year, as the group looked to focus on maximising returns within its core estate. It was listed with a guide price of £675,000.