Firm linked to Crooked House goes into liquidation

A firm linked to the ex-owner of the Crooked House pub, which was gutted by fire before being demolished illegally, has gone into liquidation with debts of £1.2m.

Himley Environmental Ltd (HEL), which owns the 15-hectare Oak Farm Quarry and Landfill site adjacent to the pub, which was reduced to a pile of bricks nearly two years ago, has been wound up voluntarily, Companies House stated.

In October, the Environment Agency (EA) obtained an injunction against the firm over a risk of pollution and to human health on the land, near Dudley.

George Adam Taylor was a director of HEL and a previous director of the firm that bought the pub from Marstons in July 2023.

The Crooked House - whose demolition sparked widespread anger and a campaign to get it rebuilt - was bought by ATE Farms Limited, based in Bedworth, Warwickshire.

Mr Taylor's wife Carly was also a director, before she stepped down from the firm last December.

Information at Companies House stated that members of HEL met and agreed to it being wound up on 13 March, when a liquidator was also appointed.

In a notice of statement of affairs, the company's estimated total deficiency was listed at £1.2m.

An investigation by the BBC's File on 4 in 2023 revealed the company was taken to court over a failure to comply with orders from the EA.

A notice was issued to HEL in 2021, when Mr Taylor was described by Companies House as a person with "significant control" of the company. He is no longer a director.

The Crooked House was destroyed in a suspected arson attack in August 2023.

Six people arrested last year were released from bail last July, but remain under investigation, Staffordshire Police has said.

South Staffordshire Council has served an enforcement order on the owners ordering them to rebuild the pub within three years.

A planning enforcement public inquiry, requested by the pub's owners, has been postponed until after any potential criminal proceedings are concluded.

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