18th Century Pub magically goes on fire and demolishes itself

[Mr Pigeon]

An old pub was bought by a property developer a month ago. The property developer asked the council for planning permission to build new houses. The council denied this request. A month later the place just suddenly goes on fire, and magically creates mounds of dirt that block the roads so fire engines take longer to attend. Within 24 hours, and after the police state that they'll investigate it for potential arson, the building spawns a couple of ethereal diggers and tears itself down. A completely unrelated and unfortunate sequence of events

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-66434719

 

[dwd]

Used to go there all the time. My friend got married there, she thinks it’s a bad omen

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Developers do this all the time and should start facing serious consequences.

 

[moses]

Developers do this all the time and should start facing serious consequences.

Make the pricks rebuild it.

 

[Fully Fledged]

It happens all the time around here. Land, worth more than the listed building on it, gets burned to the ground.

 

[Bert_]

Pub name name checks out

 

[Revaulx]

Make the pricks rebuild it.

Won’t happen in a third world place like Birmingham.

Happened here though: https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeand...n-pub-rebuilt-brick-by-brick-after-bulldozing

 

[Plant0x84]

This a fecking appalling story. It reeks of illegality and I hope there are consequences for those responsible.

 

[JagUTD]

Well the owners have been outed and it's pretty clear they are behind it. A track record of such actions and only bought the pub due to a dispute over access, so a motive is clear.

Won't name them, the Guardian has if you want to find out.

Time for an example to be made of these types of people. Double digit sentences, confiscation of the site under proceeds of crime and lifetime bans preventing them from being involved in any future developments.

Probably need to change or create laws for that but this practice is far to common and basically rendered planning pointless.

 

[JagUTD]

This a fecking appalling story. It reeks of illegality and I hope there are consequences for those responsible.

Oldest trick in the book. There isn't a village, town or city in the country where it hasn't happened. An old pub, nightclub, market hall or other large often historical building that developers know they can get for relatively cheap and throw up a bunch of horrific over priced flats on the land making huge profits.

Used to be for insurance purposes but because they will look to clear the site quickly and prevent an investigation, insurance won't pay out but the potential profits involved make it worthwhile.

 

[golden_blunder]

Well the owners have been outed and it's pretty clear they are behind it. A track record of such actions and only bought the pub due to a dispute over access, so a motive is clear.

Won't name them, the Guardian has if you want to find out.

Time for an example to be made of these types of people. Double digit sentences, confiscation of the site under proceeds of crime and lifetime bans preventing them from being involved in any future developments.

Probably need to change or create laws for that but this practice is far to common and basically rendered planning pointless.

They’ll be on the land registry anyway

 

[dwd]

Won’t happen in a third world place like Birmingham.

Happened here though: https://amp.theguardian.com/lifeand...n-pub-rebuilt-brick-by-brick-after-bulldozing

Nowhere near Birmingham

They’ll probably end up doing a replica at The Black Country Museum

 

[Penna]

I hope they're made to rebuild it. Anyway, arson is a serious offence, it would be even better if they could be found guilty of that.

 

[Volumiza]

So brazen. Really sad that this happens and I really hope some punishment can be handed out for what is pretty obviously a criminal act.

 

[altodevil]

Property Developers are right up there in the cnut standings. Vile people.

 

[Wumminator]

I fecking hate property developers and landlords.

 

[horsechoker]

I fecking hate property developers and landlords.

What if I were a property developer, would you hate me?

 

[Wumminator]

What if I were a property developer, would you hate me?

Not at all - property developers who I speak to are nice just the faceless ones I hate.

 

[horsechoker]

Not at all - property developers who I speak to are nice just the faceless ones I hate.

I don't have a face, I lost it in a cunnilingus accident

 

[Oldyella]

Happens al the time, but the fact this has been done so brazenly is crazy. Must be consequences surely.

 

[caid]

Happened just up the road a few years back.
Evicted tenants of decades a week before it mysteriously caught fire. Ulster Bank went bankrupt and Irish banking collapse of 2008 happened about 2 days afterwards so his plans went down the toilet immediately, which was pretty amusing until there was a burnt out husk of a building sitting next door for 15 years and counting. Planning applications for everything that didn't include restoring the listed building were immediately denied. He's on his 15th+ planning application that includes it being restored and they've all been rejected for various other reasons. He's finally gotten one through for the other half of the site for an apartment block but it involves getting funding for a building next to massive, burnt out, derelict so no one will give him money for it (they wouldn't give him money for a good plan because hes a total shitbag).
Its just weird and dumb, he had rent from the building, he had rent from a bunch of shops and a car mechanic and various other stuff on the site. Been sitting on the site for as long as i've been alive letting it get further run down for some imaginary pay day when he puts thousands of apartments on the site that will never arrive.
He'll make an absolute killing if he ever manages to do something with the site despite his total mismanagement and incompetence.

 

[Plant0x84]

Happens al the time, but the fact this has been done so brazenly is crazy. Must be consequences surely.

This is a very public story now, I’d hope the authorities make an example of these scumbags.

 

[Trequarista10]

Property Developers are right up there in the cnut standings. Vile people.

Annoyingly I have a few of these cnuts pop up with adverts on YouTube atm. No, sleazeball, I don't want to be like you, I'm happy in my career providing service to the world, I don't want to be a virus and cancer to society like you.

Honestly these cnuts should be all be executed. Appalling human beings, if they even qualify to be considered human beings. Can't wait for when society gets it's shit together and publicly burns these pricks and their entire bloodlines to death. Cool, you had a brief and tiny moment in human history exploiting smugly exploiting people for profit, but now your entire family tree after millenia of survival has come to end. Well done, you pathetic leech. Try rebuilding your portfolio in hell.

 

[Plant0x84]

Annoyingly I have a few of these cnuts pop up with adverts on YouTube atm. No, sleazeball, I don't want to be like you, I'm happy in my career providing service to the world, I don't want to be a virus and cancer to society like you.

Honestly these cnuts should be all be executed. Appalling human beings, if they even qualify to be considered human beings. Can't wait for when society gets it's shit together and publicly burns these pricks and their entire bloodlines to death. Cool, you had a brief and tiny moment in human history exploiting smugly exploiting people for profit, but now your entire family tree after millenia of survival has come to end. Well done, you pathetic leech. Try rebuilding your portfolio in hell.

Yeah, but how do you really feel?!

 

[JagUTD]

They’ll be on the land registry anyway

True. Was just being cautious incase @Trequarista10 hunted them down

 

[Mr Pigeon]

Happens al the time, but the fact this has been done so brazenly is crazy. Must be consequences surely.

You'd hope but considering the police said they were investigating for potential arson and yet two guys were able to turn up within a day and rip the place down, seemingly on what was now a crime scene, I'm not too sure.

 

[Big Andy]

Happened to Mr Smiths nightclub in Warrington a few years back. Rumours of developers wanting to build flats there but turned down, and then about 6 months later it burned down but it's been a pay and display car park since. You get all the local conspiracy nutters blaming the council for it, and every time a local landmark building is up for sale they spout "Incoming fire" even though it's happened once, and nothing even got built on it.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Something similar happened when Tottenham were building their new ground. One business owner refused to give up the land. Got a bunch of death threats from Spurs fans, and then eventually the building was burned down. Not at all suspicious.

 

[Plant0x84]

The Police have worked out this might be arson….. they’re a sharp bunch!
No shite, Sherlock

 

[Stobzilla]

The same thing didn't happen at Camden Market, nope, no way.

 

[Stookie]

I hope they're made to rebuild it. Anyway, arson is a serious offence, it would be even better if they could be found guilty of that.

Would they have to rebuild it crookedly or straight? I should imagine it would cost a lot more to build it crookedly. Id like to see it happen but there’s not a chance on earth.

 

[Loon]

I don't have a face, I lost it in a cunnilingus accident

Posts that sound sex-- I don't think I've got this right.

 

[decorativeed]

Same thing has been going on for years all over the place. A famous example in Manchester being Tommy Ducks pub opposite the Midland Hotel.

 

[Carolina Red]

That’s about the most obvious case of arson and fraud I’ve seen in awhile

 

[pocco]

It's funny because I read the Google news stories on my phone, and one day I was reading that the pub had finally shut its doors. Then a few days later I saw an article saying it burnt down and had new owners. As soon as I saw the second headline pop up I immediately knew something was up.

I think one of the local councillors or somebody that was interviewed was skirting around the issue but clearly knew what was up, as they said they hope to see it rebuilt exactly as it was.

 

[Ady87]

Happened to Mr Smiths nightclub in Warrington a few years back. Rumours of developers wanting to build flats there but turned down, and then about 6 months later it burned down but it's been a pay and display car park since. You get all the local conspiracy nutters blaming the council for it, and every time a local landmark building is up for sale they spout "Incoming fire" even though it's happened once, and nothing even got built on it.

RIP Mr Smiths.

 

[SilentWitness]

A decent video discussing some of the implications from a heritage standpoint. I myself work as an archaeologist for a council and deal with planning apps and developers/individuals in listed buildings and buildings of interest almost daily and we regularly have people unhappy about stuff and have been in danger of threats for some sites.

A TLDW breakdown - In regards to this building it's interesting to note that prior to this arson there was a break in which caused damage to the property in places such as the kitchens and toilets. Why is that interesting? Well, planning laws in terms of pubs state that you can't buy a pub and then immediately change it to something else. You need to buy and carry on using it as a pub and then submit an app if you want to alter it to something else and I'd suggest that it would have been a difficult one for them to agree to due to the significance of it. That damage essentially puts the use of it as a pub at jeopardy. Also, post-fire the building was still intact despite fire damage and they had permission to demolish some, but not all of it, which happened. Historic England have also confirmed that the building was being considered for listed status which would have further implications regarding planning applications and possible alterations to the building if it was granted. Also if listed, there are implications if a building is unlawfullu destroyed such as having to rebuild the property completely to it's original state.

In this case there are a lot of factors at play that need to be investigated for the criminal proceedings such as possible arson, possible planning crime and possible heritage crime. A sad situation all around for the local area.

 

[dogrob]

Similar thing happened in Manchester with Tommy Ducks back in 93 but the brewery was behind that demolished over night despite the fact that it was under a conservation order.

 

[Wibble]

Similar thing happened in Manchester with Tommy Ducks back in 93 but the brewery was behind that demolished over night despite the fact that it was under a conservation order.

.

Tommy Ducks? Nooooo
.

 

[djembatheking]

Same thing has been going on for years all over the place. A famous example in Manchester being Tommy Ducks pub opposite the Midland Hotel.

Tommy Ducks was ace, had some good times there.