Bid to buy burnt-out Alcester pub given go-ahead despite 'blank cheque' risk

The Grade-II listed Three Tuns has required the support of scaffolding that obstructs the pavement since being ravaged by fire in 2021 and despite a change of ownership last year, it is now back on the market and set to be sold at auction on Thursday (September 10).

The council is keeping its upper limit and projected restoration costs secret, citing commercial sensitivity, but acknowledges that restoring the building is likely to cost more than the post-revamp value.

Alcester’s town council and civic society have backed the bid with the district’s portfolio holder for projects and communications Councillor Louis Adam (Southam North & Long Itchington) – part of the Liberal Democrat panel of decision makers at Elizabeth House – stating that the site being left derelict for so long, the pavement issue and the timing of the auction makes this a “unique case” that the authority should act on.

“The previous owners failed to protect the heritage asset and there are legal responsibilities there,” he said.

“Enforcement resources have been used in trying to address this. We have explored the option of compulsory purchase but the general view is that would result in potentially much higher cost than we are looking at here.”

Cllr Adam added that the council would seek to “subdivide our commitments to some extent”, limiting initial input to buying the property, making it structurally safe without scaffolding and protecting the heritage asset – the character of the building externally.

He added: “This will give us obligations to maintain the heritage asset but the detail of how this will be managed and the funding streams available to achieve this will be decided at a future meeting with more detailed reports when we have time to consider them.”

Councillor Trevor Harvey (Ind, Tredington) said that the scrutiny committee he chairs was in favour of going ahead “on balance”, but referenced the objection of Councillor Sarah Whalley-Hoggins (Reform UK, Brailes & Compton) and issued a stark warning.

Noting the council's obligations to restore the Three Tuns, he said: “The option of sorting out the scaffolding and freeing up the pavement, leaving it at that, with all credibility just does not arise.

“The council will be taking on responsibility for restoring and preserving the building. The difficulty the cabinet has is that there is a price to be paid and you don’t know what it is.

“I am not aware that there is a thought-through business case for the restoration and maintenance of this building over the next 20-30 years. If you proceed with this, you will effectively be signing a blank cheque.

“I can well understand the residents of Alcester being quite supportive of that but you will have to defend in public to residents throughout the district why that was an appropriate use of public money.”

Cllr Harvey also argued that “logically”, the council’s position in the auction should be influenced by “how much the vendor is prepared to pay a prospective purchaser to get rid of this liability” rather than “paying a positive price" to take on the probability of "a black hole in monetary terms.”

Deputy leader Councillor George Cowcher (Lib Dem, Wellesbourne South), presiding after leader Councillor Susan Juned (Lib Dem, Alcester East) recused herself due to her ward’s proximity to the pub, said Cllr Harvey had “highlighted the dilemma we have”.

“We have an owner who was clearly not responsible and we have been left with the situation where a very important and historic town is blighted. We have to, I think, take some action over that,” he said.

Deputy chief executive Tony Perks, the district staff member leading on this, said acting now would likely save the council time and money on going through a compulsory purchase process in the future, confirming that the council had been “working towards that route” prior to the pub going back on the market.

Nevertheless, Councillor Mike Rice (Lib Dem, Henley-in-Arden) questioned whether the circumstances were unique, citing parallels with the Seaspray chip shop on his patch that has remained closed since a fire there in 2023.

Leader of the opposition Councillor Daren Pemberton (Con, Bidford East) said evidence that the economic impact on Alcester justifies intervention had not been presented, nor had timescales for bringing the building back into use.

“We are on the hook for a significant sum,” he said.

“There is no guarantee that this will come back into use in the medium term. All that’s on offer is potentially sorting out the frontage and people in Alcester need to understand that.

“The question is then whether that is a good use of money, why doesn’t that happen elsewhere? Would (the council do this for) any other building in any other market town or the town (Stratford) itself?"

He also questioned whether the call was politically motivated, challenging councillors to “tell the people this is not just money being spent in Lib Dem central”.

Mr Perks said the Seaspray building was in “significantly better” condition than the pub.

“In terms of something that has been (left for) five years, is supported by scaffolding that is blocking a high street and without an obvious prospect of improvement, in our view this is a one-off,” he concluded.

The cabinet’s vote was held at the end of a behind-closed-doors consideration of the money potentially involved but Cllr Juned confirmed to Alcester residents outside the chamber that the decision to progress had been approved.