Derelict pub restoration will cost 'more than £4m'

The restoration of a derelict pub bought by a council will be more than £4m, according to experts.

Middlesbrough Council paid £750,000 - 60% more than market value - for The Crown, which fell into disrepair after closing in 2015.

A survey report by commercial property agents and chartered surveyors Sanderson Weatherall, at the instruction of the Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC), found there were "a significant number of issues" with the building.

Control of it is set to be transferred to the MDC, with no decision yet taken on its redevelopment.

Metal fences currently surround the shuttered property, which first opened in 1923 as a cinema.

Having inspected the Linthorpe Road site, Sanderson Weatherall's 345-page report found "there are a significant number of issues with regard to the property and the extent of the disrepair that currently exists".

It warns "further investigative work will be required" to determine the full extent of defects, such as within the concrete roof structure of the building's dome and the lattice steel framework it is supported by.

It is confirmed the property is "considered to be structurally stable".

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the report was prepared on the assumption the property "will be reinstated and repaired to some extent in its current format", so re-use options were not assessed.

On top of practical work to get the building back into shape, more assessments will be needed, with surveys undertaken so far being described as "non-intrusive".

The report said "extremely careful consideration" should be given to how it was developed "given the potentially significant level of expenditure that is to be incurred".

The building was bought by the council in 2023 under the tenure of the then-mayor Andy Preston, Independent, who said the purchase had been essential in order to attract investment.

The deal was completed quickly and without a structural survey. Auditors last year said a "macho style of leadership" contributed to the acquisition.

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