Councillor to open craft beer bar in medieval Stourbridge building

The Crafty Jar, in the basement of a three-storey medieval building, will soon open its doors on Stourbridge High Street.

Following in the footsteps of pub landlord and leader of Dudley Council Patrick Harley, Councillor Steve Clark has now found a different way to serve his constituents.

After a green light from Dudley planning chiefs on Monday the craft bar will convert an old craft shop into a fancy bar where customers can watch their beer being made before they drink it.

Steve Clark said: “We are really pleased that Dudley planning has approved the change of use to a drinking establishment. The plan is to convert the ground floor and basement into an upmarket bar.

“If all goes well, the intention is to open The Crafty Jar in the spring of next year. We have many years of experience in running a local pub and look forward to binging that expertise into Lower High St, as well as giving a new choice to the evening culture of Stourbridge.”

Open from 11am to 11pm the bar will feature a display area with a large internal window so that customers can see the barrels, pumps and pipes and see how they feed up to the main bar area. The ground floor would contain a bar with nine tables that could accommodate up to 40 seated customers.

One objection to the bar had been received citing anti-social behaviour and noise concerns but in reply Dudley Council’s planning department said: “This is a town centre location where a drinking establishment is an appropriate town centre use.”

The planning department continued: “In view of the above it is considered that the proposed change of use would be acceptable, in principle. It relates only to internal works therefore its impact would be minimal in visual terms whilst giving two floors of the building a new vibrant use.

“The introduction of a drinking establishment also has the potential to contribute to both the daytime and evening economy of Stourbridge town centre.”