Crooked House pub rebuild hearing delayed after owners appeal to High Court
A planning inquiry set up after the owners of the historic Crooked House were ordered to rebuild the pub has been delayed after an appeal to the High Court.
The enforcement notice requiring the pub to be rebuilt 'so as to recreate it as similar as possible to the demolished building' was served on pub owners, Adam and Carly Taylor, and the company secretary of Warwickshire-based ATE Farms Ltd by South Staffordshire Council in February 2024.
A hearing before a planning inspector had been expected to start considering an appeal against the re-build notice in March 2025. But the owners have launched a High Court challenge against the inquiry, and the hearing will now be postponed.
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The council claims that the demolition of the pub in Himley, near Dudley, two days after it was destroyed by fire on August 5 2023, constituted a breach of planning controls. It has said it is 'extremely disappointed' to see the delay of the inquiry, with it 'likely resuming when the criminal investigation into the fire has concluded'.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the council said: 'A High Court challenge was lodged by the owners of the Crooked House to challenge the Planning Inspectorate's refusal to postpone the Planning Enforcement Public Inquiry.
'South Staffordshire Council is extremely disappointed to announce that following the High Court challenge that took place on the 5th February 2025, the Planning Inspectorate has today, 11th February 2025, confirmed that the Planning Enforcement Public Inquiry will be held in abeyance.
'This means that the Crooked House Public Inquiry for the appeal, scheduled for 11th March 2025, will now not go ahead as planned and will likely resume when the criminal investigation into the fire at the Crooked House has been concluded.
'South Staffordshire Council has worked very hard to prepare for the Public Inquiry and to defend the Enforcement Notice issued in February 2024, but has now exhausted all avenues to see this Public Inquiry go ahead as planned in March 2025.'
Staffordshire Police said in July last year that there were six people arrested in connection with the fire, who were then released from their bail. They remain under investigation.
Those arrested have not been identified but were said at the time of their arrests to be a 66-year-old man from Dudley, a 51-year-old man from Buckingham, a 33-year-old man from Milton Keynes, two men from Leicestershire aged 23 and 44, and a woman aged 34, also from Leicestershire.
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