Developers Get Taught a Lesson

Developers who illegally demolished a historic pub are ordered to rebuild it brick by brick!

This article was copied from a UK paper into a blog article for there were so many pop-up ads it was almost impossible to read.

A group of property developers have been ordered to rebuild a Grade II-listed pub that they demolished without permission.

The historic Punch Bowl Inn at Hurst Green, Lancashire, in Northwestern England MUST BE REBUILT BRICK BY BRICK WITHIN A YEAR, a judge has ruled.

Historic 1720 building demolished by developers.

Last year, a trial at Burnley magistrates court found five people guilty of the illegal demolition in June 2021 of the pub, which was built about 1720 and was well known for its association with the famous highwaymen Dick Turpin and Ned King. King was executed in 1741 and his ghost was said to haunt the pub.

The court heard how there had been no need to demolish the building, despite the defense’s claim that it was structurally unsound.

The defense said they had been concerned the pub, which had been derelict since 2012, would collapse and could fall into the road. They said they had spoken to the council, Historic England and experts about what to do but “nobody was helping”. They said the council had not acted properly or fast enough and the owners of the building became frustrated.

In the years running up to the demolition, emergency services had been called a number of times. It was damaged by arsonists and had fallen into disrepair before they pressed on with demolition work.

In addition, the five guilty parties were also required to pay a combined fine what would be in 85,000 in US dollars.

The pub is to be rebuilt in full – interior and exterior including signage. They must go through the rubble of the pub with experts to see which materials might be salvageable and submit this to the council for approval before rebuilding.

Any materials that are missing will need to be sourced and approved by the council.

The developers have estimated a cost of £1.5m to rebuild the site to its original specifications. That is almost 2 million US dollars.

“That will also reinstate some of the planning harm that has been caused. The council would say that a listed building that has been demolished and rebuilt will not have the same character as if it were just left.”

District Judge Alex Boyd said the ruling would act as a deterrent to others considering illegal demolitions. “The purpose of these requirements is to protect the building for current and future generations to enjoy.”

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We all know once rebuilt the building would have lost it character and will never be the same. I am very pleased with the ruling of the judge. Here in the US the developer and owner would just be given a scolding. Once someone pleads hardship they can get away with anything.

Please pass this on so all developers can see. Let them know we are coming after them!