Sheffield Council to rule on unlawful demolition of landmark traditional pub

The Royal Oak, at 53 High Street, in Mosborough, was illegally reduced to rubble last year.

Bar 24 Ltd faced backlash for knocking it down but defended its decision saying they were concerned about gallons of chemicals that were dumped on the site.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We shuttered the building up and put fencing around it but people still broke in through the roof and we didn’t want anyone dropping dead from the fumes so we decided the building had to come down so the site could be redeveloped.”

They said they pre warned the local authority and went ahead after getting no response.

A year after knocking it down, the council’s planning and highways committee is due to make a decision on whether to grant retrospective permission which includes building a Co-op and other shops with 32 car parking spaces and landscaping in place of the pub.

Council officers said it should be given a green light despite saying the loss of the pub was significant, illegal and “clearly should not have occurred”.

They came to this conclusion after assessing the plans by imagining the pub was still there and added that although concerned about what happened, the pub did not have any extra protection such as being an asset of community value or listed and there were benefits to the proposed shops.

What do neighbours think?

There were 64 objections to the plans from members of the public whose main concern was that the pub had already been demolished.

Clive Betts, MP for Sheffield South East, was one of the people objecting and said he had doubts about the success of the shops because numerous traders had closed due to lack of business.

He said: “It fails to recognise both the historical significance of the Royal Oak building itself as well as providing no convincing case for the future development on the site.

“I fail to see how the developer could not have put forward a proposal that included the Royal Oak building itself into a future development.

“The building has been a historical landmark in the area since the 1800s, and a focal point for the community throughout.

“I am therefore not convinced any development of the site required the building to be demolished, and any regeneration should have included the pre-existing structure, incorporating it into any plans put forward.”

There were also 10 letters of support saying the new jobs and shops would be welcome.

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The planning and highways committee meeting will take place on Tuesday, May 24 from 2 pm.

There are several other plans due to be discussed and decided upon.

You can watch the meeting live via webcast as well as read the agenda and full officer reports here: https://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=373&MId=7882