Punch Bowl Inn: Owners fined £20k for bulldozing historic pub
GeOGRAPH / CHRIS HEATONFive people who illegally demolished a listed 18th Century pub have been fined more than £20,000.
The Punch Bowl Inn in Hurst Green, Lancashire, was bulldozed by Donelan Trading Ltd after the group ignored a council decision in June 2021.
Its owners and contractor Percliff were ordered to pay a range of fines and costs at Blackburn Magistrates Court.
A judge said the company was aware the demolition of the Grade II-listed building was a criminal offence.
Ribble Valley Council has ordered Donelan Trading to rebuild the pub to its original plan based on architectural records.
Defending the group, solicitor David Lawson claimed the three owners, Andrew Donelan, his wife Nicola Donelan and daughter Rebecca Donelan, were worried the building had become unsafe, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
He said they believed it had got worse over the years and had been broken into and targeted by arsonists.
The building was knocked down by Brian Ingleby and David Cotterell, who worked for the contractor Percliff.
The court heard Donelan Trading had submitted various plans to the council before 2021 signifying an intention to give the site a new lease of life.
While a holiday lodge park was approved with conditions, various other applications were refused.
Mr Lawson said the defendants claimed the council had not acted properly or fast enough, and the group became frustrated with apparent delays.
Killian Garvey, representing the authority, told the court Donelan Trading "had been told in advance not to do it and the correct way to deal with the situation" but "all of this was ignored".
The court also heard the group ignored various other warnings from Historic England.
- Donelan Trading Ltd was fined £12,000, handed a £1,200 court surcharge and ordered to pay £20,000 towards costs
- Andrew Donelan received a £2,000 fine, a £200 surcharge and was told to pay £2,000 towards costs
- Nicola Donelan was given a £1,000 fine, a £100 surcharge and £1,000 costs
- Rebecca Donelan received a £200 fine, a £25 surcharge and £250 towards costs
- Percliff was fined £5,600, a £560 surcharge and £20,000 costs
- Ingleby was fined £1,000, a £100 surcharge and £1,000 costs
- Cotterell was fined £400, a £40 surcharge and £400 costs
District Judge Alexander Boyd said the demolition was "wholly disproportionate to the risk".
None of the defendants spoke in court.
Why not follow BBC North West on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram? You can also send story ideas to [email protected]