Owner of “eyesore” Sheffield pub ordered to clean it up

The old Middlewood Tavern has stood empty and vandalised for several years with rubble piled in the former car park.

Now the owner has two weeks to tidy up the site or Sheffield Council will intervene.

In July 2018, the council served a notice which said the owner had to remove all graffiti and fly posters from the windows, doors and walls, repaint all the boarded windows and doors black and remove and dispose of all the rubble, building waste and demolition materials.

After this notice was served, the pub changed ownership. The new owner asked the council if the bags of rubble could remain on the site as it was needed for the development, which was due to start in September 2018.

Planning officers agreed – but seven months on, no progress has been made.

Coun Jack Clarkson has repeatedly complained about the pub. He says it’s blighting Middlewood Road, the main route from the city centre and Hillsborough to Oughtibridge and Stocksbridge.

He said: “The site is not being improved and it is a real eyesore. There must be 1,000 bags of stone there.”

Enforcement officers say they have now agreed an “immediate plan of action”.

They said: “The owner has agreed to fix a mesh screen to the existing fencing along the front of the land to screen the building materials on site.

“The windows will be painted black and the redundant signage and fixtures and fittings will be removed. All of the work is due to be completed by March 29.

“The owner has indicated this site is the next in line to be developed from the portfolio of properties acquired last year from the previous owner.

“The current planning consent to convert the building expires on July 20, 2019. Officers will monitor the situation over the next few weeks with a view to further action if the interim works and planning permission are not implemented.”

The pub closed for a long time following the devastating floods of 2007 when the road towards Oughtibridge collapsed. It was cut off from passing trade, never recovered and closed shortly after.

In 2016 planning permission was granted to demolish a side extension and alter the disused pub to create a new pub and restaurant with a function room, outdoor seating and car parking.

The plans said: “The restored pub will be aimed firmly at families, with a good-sized restaurant where previously there was only a drinking area, and also a dedicated beer garden and play area.”