‘The Crooked House’ pub near Dudley burns down.

[Trackman]

What's to stop the company just going bankrupt and walking away? Can any sanctions Good questrionbe imposed on the actual people behind the company?

Good question, I was thinking that too.
Didn't they arrest some people? I guess nothing came of that.

 

[Haywain]

Didn't they arrest some people? I guess nothing came of that.

Legal processes in this country can be painfully slow.

 

[jfollows]

Good question, I was thinking that too.
Didn't they arrest some people? I guess nothing came of that.

I clarified my post 84 above with the details on whom (people) the order was served, and I observed that the same people were previously arrested and bailed after the arson. Whether or not anything further happens with the arson remains to be seen - it might be viewed that having to undo it all is "punishment enough".

EDIT Also there are potentially unlimited fines for breaching the enforcement order, a criminal offence unlike the original demolition, and "Arson/criminal damage with intent to endanger life or reckless as to whether life endangered" for which the arrests were made comes with a potential custodial sentence.

 

[Lost property]

It will be quite a fascinating project I suspect?How do you build a building that meets modern building regs whilst being that out of true?

Apart from the dubious nature and subsequent events surrounding the fire, to be honest, I couldn't understand all the emotional hugging / tears / flowers / teddy bears etc.

 

[Crossover]

Pretty pleased to hear this actually. Hopefully they’ll have various people inspecting the work and breathing down their necks every step of the way too!

I would agree with you on this. Hopefully justice has been served!

 

[birchesgreen]

Being of a rather cynical nature i suspect nothing will happen until after the mayoral election and then we'll see if Andy Street is still that bothered about it (one way or the other!)

 

[DelW]

It will be quite a fascinating project I suspect? How do you build a building that meets modern building regs whilst being that out of true?

Build it normally on an r.c. slab with jacks under the corners, then you can adjust the tilt for different times of day or different clienteles?

(Please note this is not a serious suggestion and I realise it wouldn't replicate the original pub )

 

[Haywain]

Being of a rather cynical nature i suspect nothing will happen until after the mayoral election and then we'll see if Andy Street is still that bothered about it (one way or the other!)

If the order was from South Staffordshire Council, what will Andy Street have to do with it?

 

[spyinthesky]

It will be quite a fascinating project I suspect?How do you build a building that meets modern building regs whilst being that out of true?

They seem to manage with most new builds.

 

[birchesgreen]

If the order was from South Staffordshire Council, what will Andy Street have to do with it?

He was the mug all over the pressure for it, we'll just have to see what happens after the elections.

 

[43096]

Build it normally on an r.c. slab with jacks under the corners, then you can adjust the tilt for different times of day or different clienteles?

(Please note this is not a serious suggestion and I realise it wouldn't replicate the original pub )

That would be the ATP (Advanced Tilting Pub)! As opposed to the APT…

 

[Cowley]

That would be the ATP (Advanced Tilting Pub)! As opposed to the APT…

I’ve been known to tilt when stocked up with beer.

 

[Sun Chariot]

I’ve been known to tilt when stocked up with beer.

Did you get stopped in traffic, for corrective action?

 

[renegademaster]

Not excusing their actions but if the government wasnt seemingly trying their hardest to make pubs unprofitable stuff like this wouldnt happen.

 

[Haywain]

Not excusing their actions but if the government wasnt seemingly trying their hardest to make pubs unprofitable stuff like this wouldnt happen.

Whilst the government is a long way from supporting pubs, they have been reducing in number for many years. The primary reason is that fewer people are using pubs generally.

 

[52290]

This pub was the nearest thing we had to the leaning tower of Pisa. Imagine the reaction of the Italians if somebody knocked that down.

 

[takno]

Not excusing their actions but if the government wasnt seemingly trying their hardest to make pubs unprofitable stuff like this wouldnt happen.

I don't think that's a particular factor here. The pub appears to have been reasonably profitable, but was perhaps in the way of the activities of the business next door.

 

[SargeNpton]

There were two separate events when the pub went - first there was arson, which gutted the building but that was followed by demolition. Whislt thw owners cannot (necssarily) be held responsible for the arson, they can certainly be held responsible for the demolition which was their decision and action. Therefore I cannot see that this order by the local authority can be seen as finding anyone in particular guilty of arson (and I doubt a business can be charged with arson).

Three events...

Prior to the arson and, I think, just prior to the building changing hands, the pub's kitchen was completely renovated - and then trashed during a break-in.

The other thing of note is a suggestion that the machines used to demolish the pub were on site before the arson - which would be convenient.

 

[Haywain]

Three events...

Prior to the arson and, I think, just prior to the building changing hands, the pub's kitchen was completely renovated - and then trashed during a break-in.

I wasn't aware of the break-in at the time of that post but it does give the impression that there could have been a co-ordinated campaign to reach the stage of demolition. Even the mysterious disappearance of the antique grandfather clock fits in with such a pattern.