Crooked House: Owners told to rebuild pub

South Staffordshire Council is serving an enforcement notice on the owners of the Crooked House for the unlawful demolition of the building.

The notice, which has been issued under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development Order 2015) requires the building to be built back to what it was prior to a fire which destroyed it in August of last year.

A statement from South Staffordshire Council said: "The council understands and empathises with the concern and interest following the demolition of the Crooked House, Himley in 2023.

"We are continuing to work with the police and other partners, including Health and Safety Executive (HSE), building control and Historic England, and our focus is on our own investigation regarding the planning and building control breaches with the aim of reaching a positive outcome.

"This remains our priority, and it is very important that whilst the council is still investigating the incident and considering our legal options and next steps, we do not comment on any element of the ongoing investigation, so that we do not potentially prejudice our enforcement action.

"We continue to urge everyone to stay off the site, not to breach the fencing, nor remove any materials as it may hamper ongoing investigations being carried out by multiple agencies. "

Campaigners recently held a six month anniversary meeting at the site of the iconic former pub where they pledged again to see the pub rebuilt 'brick by brick.'

The leader of the council, Councillor Roger Lees BEM said: "A huge amount of time and resources have been put into investigating the unauthorised demolition of the Crooked House.

"We have had great support from the local community, our MPs and the mayor of the West Midlands and from the campaign group whose aim is to see the Crooked House restored back to its former glory.

"We have not taken this action lightly but we believe it is right to bring the owners, who demolished the building without consent, to account and we are committed to do what we can to get the Crooked House rebuilt."