'Last resort' action to get former Bloxwich pub land cleaned up

The site of the former Eagle pub and the Leathern Bottle, both on Creswell Crescent, Bloxwich, has fallen into disrepair in recent years after the former was demolished and the latter closed down.

Vandals have targeted the site, while recent reports to Walsall Council claim that there is a rat infestation.

Walsall North MP David Winnick has been a long term campaigner to get issues around the land sorted and it has prompted Walsall Council to issue a section 215 notice to the owners of the land to ensure it is cleaned up.

Government guidance for issuing the notice, which demands that a land owner complies with steps laid out within 28 days, states it should 'only be used as a last resort'.

In a letter to Mr Winnick, Walsall Council chief executive Paul Sheehan, said: "I have indicated previously that the owners of the two public houses had been in conversation with officers about the possible redevelopment of these two sites.

"Unfortunately, these discussions have not resulted in progress on the redevelopment of these sites nor have planning applications come forward.

"Consideration has been given to the use of a Section 215 Notice to clear the site in the past.

"In line with the Government's guidance that enforcement action should only be used as a last resort with a negotiated resolution being preferred, such action has been held in abeyance.

"In the absence of any proposals for the site, officers are now issuing a Section 215 notice to ensure both sites are cleaned up."

Drugs and a dangerous dog were found at the Leathern Bottle in 2009. The pub first opened in the 1970s.

It closed several years ago and was earmarked for demolition to make way for a new pub, retail and residential complex under proposals revealed more than two years ago by SEP Properties.

Meanwhile the Eagle pub has been empty since 2007 when a man was shot.

SEP Properties had permission for 17 one-bedroom flats.

After closing it fell into a state of disrepair and has been a magnet for vandals and metal thieves.

The pub, which stands at the junction of Tintern Crescent, has been out of use since 2007 when it closed after Stuart Nelson was shot in the leg after a fight broke out on St Patrick's Day.

Mr Winnick said: "I welcome the fact that at long last the council are issuing a Section 215 Notice to try to ensure both sites are cleared up.

"This, in my view, should have been done much earlier and, as far as the Eagle pub site is concerned, the building has deteriorated further and at times has become a focal point for vandalism.

"It is disgraceful that the situation has been allowed to remain as it is for so long.

"Though the former Leathern Bottle pub has been demolished for some months now, the site has not been cleared at all.

"It is understandable that since it is virtually next to the Jubilee Academy there is concern amongst parents as well as the teachers.

"The council now needs to act with urgency on both sites."