Developers who illegally demolished the cherished Punch Bowl Inn of Hurst Green, have been fined and ordered to rebuild the heritage-listed landmark to original plans, from the rubble.
Built near the crest of a hillock on Longridge Road, in the county of Hurst Green, Clitheroe, in the UK, the Punch Bowl has been servicing locals since the 1720s and is famous for its folklore and history. According to legend, a notorious bandit operated out of the pub in the 18th century. He was caught and executed, and his ghost has haunted the establishment ever since.
In 2015 Donelan Trading Ltd, owned by Andrew Donelan, purchased the Inn, which was not trading. The company did not resume the business.
Mid-2021, Alison Brown, chairperson of the planning and development committee at the local Ribble Valley Council, received a call from a resident to say that the pub was being demolished. Brown sent an enforcement team, but it was too late and by 9am the old pub was “just a pile of rubble”.
Many in the community were outraged, and the Council brought legal action against Donelan Trading.
The company argued that one of the chimneys in the multi-building structure was unstable, and could collapse. Council returned that this did not justify its demolition. Late last year the Lancashire Telegraph reported Donelan and four other parties were found guilty of illegally demolishing the pub.
Listed buildings in the United Kingdom represent structures of historical significance. According to the British government there are around 400,000 listed buildings in England.
The laws specify that if a protected building is demolished, local planning authorities can penalise those responsible, although historically this is uncommon.
A similar case in Melbourne, where developers knocked down the historic Corkman’s Irish Pub in 2016, the pair were eventually fined more than a million dollars, made to turn the site into a public park, and sent to jail for a month.
Ribble Valley Council reported that many residents were “horrified” at the sudden demise of the local landmark, and Council wanted to set a precedent, to deter others. Donelan Trading appealed the verdict, but this month that appeal was rejected.
Council has ordered the company against removing the piles of rubble, and to have the integrity of the sandstone and old timbers assessed ahead of rebuilding the Punch Bowl Inn from the debris, within 12 months.
Considered a somewhat unique order, Council has confirmed a fine of about AU$124,000, and strict conditions on the rebuilding. There is significant documentation on the layout and construction of the Punch Bowl Inn, which the company will have to follow closely. Brown expects it will be a “costly and painstaking” process.
News of the developer development has spread across the land, and other councils are understood to be looking to launch similar challenges to destroyed historic buildings.
To date there is no word on the interim residence of the Punch Bowl’s ghost, but it is hoped he will reoccupy the resumed rubble.
