Council's bid to buy burnt-out Alcester pub to be considered on Monday
Stratford-on-Avon District Council is planning to buy a burnt-out Grade-II listed pub in Alcester – despite being told costs are likely to “significantly exceed” the value of the restored building.
On Monday, the Liberal Democrat cabinet in charge of major service areas will consider a recommendation from deputy chief executive Tony Perks to agree in principle to the purchase of The Three Tuns, High Street, Alcester, and afford him scope to complete the authority’s due diligence.
Fire ripped through the pub in April 2021, seeing the roof cave ina. Previous owner Akaal Singh Sidhu sought and obtained planning permission to restore the pub and flat that sat above it but he sold it on and that permission has now lapsed.
The council’s report shows it was sold to its current owner for £80,000 in July 2025 but it is now back on the market with Bond Wolfe setting a guide price of £50,000 ahead of an auction scheduled for Thursday, September 10.
The listing says the pub “is considered ripe for development subject to the appropriate planning permission and listed building consents”.
Noting that scaffolding to support the building continues to block that side of the high street, Mr Perks wrote: “The condition of the building is such that it is having a significant detrimental effect on the centre of one of the main market towns in the district.
“For commercial reasons, the building has not been brought back into use following the fire. It is understood that the cost of the work required to reinstate the listed building exceeded the value of the finished building, and that complications with insurance may have left the owner of the building at the time of the fire unable to implement the works required.”
He adds that “work is progressing” on a viability appraisal being conducted by West Midlands Heritage Trust (WMHT) but that initial feedback “has found that the costs of reconstructing the building are likely to significantly exceed the value of the finished asset”.
Nonetheless, the council is keen to see it restored with the potential to secure grant funding if a viable future use can be identified.
“It is likely that some form of public sector intervention will be required if the building is to be brought back into use,” adds Mr Perks.
“WMHT considers it likely that the Three Tuns will need to pass into public ownership for the renovation work to take place, either through voluntary acquisition or ultimately through a compulsory purchase order (CPO).
“The current opportunity to acquire the property would allow the council to control activities and would avoid potential delays and costs associated with CPO acquisition.”
The projected costs are being kept under wraps but if this progresses, the council will delve into its Business Rates Equalisation Reserve – a savings pot that had £10.2 million in it at the end of March 2026 – with renovation costs to be considered at a later date.
The report adds: “It is the intention that once renovated, this asset would be retained by the council and utilised rather than disposed of.”
Two main risks are highlighted – setting a precedent for other disused buildings and saddling the council with a loss-making asset. Mr Perks says these are mitigated by the building being a “unique” problem in a prominent part of Alcester, while the potential for losses are “offset by (the) need to act in the public interest”.
After discussing the matter and hearing the views of opposition leaders, cabinet can vote to proceed as planned, set a different limit for purchase costs, reject the proposals outright or come up with an alternative plan.