Crooked House pub rebuild hearing delayed after owners appeal to 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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The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
US grand jury indicts one of Haiti's most powerful gang leaders and one of his friends
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Boston Globe
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Lawsuit of Natick couple harassed by eBay can go to trial, judge rules
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New York Post
3 hours ago
- New York Post
NYC ex-cons slice and dice their way through new culinary program
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'I was just going with the flow – but the flow got me now,' he said. 6 Department of Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes presents a certificate of program completion to Rivera. Stephen Yang for the New York Post The course is poised to ultimately help the ex-cons get a food handler's license, which program leader Tamaya Butts said will give them a boost in the job market. The city will foot the $24 fee for the final exam up to two times. 'Coming out of the corrections system, it's very hard for these individuals to find jobs based on their background,' said Butts, director of the Bronx-based nonprofit Pathways To Abundance, which helped to organize the initiative. 'Obtaining your food handlers' license puts you step above the competition.' 6 (From left) Restaurant owner Jasmine Gerard, Pathways to Abundance Director Tamaya Butts, restaurant owner Lloyd Hollie, and DOP Commissioner Juanita Holmes are all integral parts of the program. Stephen Yang for the New York Post Jasmine's also plans to offer jobs to at least two of the grads once they pass the city's food-handler license exam. Co-owner Jasmine Gerald said she will keep a roster of partner restaurants to connect the participants with gigs, part-time or full-time, with entry-level jobs ranging from dish washing to prepping. 'This gives people the opportunity to feel normal,' said Gerald, whose husband and Jasmine's co-owner Lloyd Hollie was incarcerated. 'Good people do bad things that's not to say that they can't be reformed.' The news comes as city Probation reports a drop in recidivism this year, from a 4.1% monthly rate in January to 3.1% in June — and employment is a 'huge' part of that focus, officials said. The agency attributes the decline, at least in part, to the success of Neighborhood Opportunity Network programs such as the culinary class. Vocational programs for aspiring electricians, commercial drivers, barbers and wigmakers are currently offered — and a welding program is slated to launch in the fall. The agency said it has connected 847 parolees to 'meaningful employment' this year so far and helped 5,207 others obtain high school diplomas or GED equivalents. 6 Marie Covington, 58, came to support her son, 24-year-old program participant Davontay Covington. Stephen Yang for the New York Post 'That's the key to being successful in probation: tapping into their interests,' Probation Commissioner Juanita Holmes told The Post. 'They need guidance and opportunities to keep them on a straight and narrow path — I think it's essential that we take an interest in the people we're supervising.' Mayor Eric Adams added in a statement, 'Under our administration, the Department of Probation is using new, innovative ways to get our probation clients on the right path. 6 Graduates of the culinary program receive certificates at Jasmine's, a Caribbean restaurant on Restaurant Row near Times Square. Stephen Yang for the New York Post 'This new culinary program is already a success, and we can't wait wait to see what these New Yorkers will do with these valuable skills in the culinary arts, customer service, and event management.' The agency is already looking to tap another wave of culinary enthusiasts from its 25-person waitlist. New classes begin in mid-September. 'When I got two scholarships to go to culinary school, I was very fortunate to learn,' chef Jones said of his decision to lead the free-of-charge class. 'One of the instructors told me whatever we learned there will be of no use to us if we didn't pass it down to others. 'Doing this for these guys it's an honor for me to do because it's something that I'm passing on to them that, if they choose to use it, at least they have the opportunity.'
