Historic Wolverhampton pub could re-open seven years after closing
Plans to re-open an historic village pub have been put forward – seven years after it closed its doors.
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The new move would see the Old Stags Head in Penn, Wolverhampton, refurbished and reopened.
The former pub in Church Hill closed in October 2018 after a decline in trade.
Locals have fought off plans to convert the building, which has stood for more than 200 years in the village’s conservation area, into a new home on two occasions in recent years.
The pub owner’s plan to turn the former watering hole into a six-bedroom home was rejected by the City of Wolverhampton Council in 2022. Government planning inspectors then upheld the decision after an appeal.
Another application to turn the former pub into a house was again made in 2024, but the council rejected it for a second time after more than 300 people objected.
The pub is also registered as an asset of community value.
The new plans would see the pub, which has been described as in a “serious state of disrepair”, open again with a new layout that includes a bigger restaurant.
A statement included with the application said: “The proposal is to retain the public house however we intend on altering the internal layout to create a better environment for both staff and clientèle.
“To achieve this, we will create a new secondary entrance, create a new more efficient ground floor layout, increase the number of toilets, improve the first-floor flat layout, improve the external layout and make good a site which is currently overgrown and detracts from an otherwise tidy and pleasant area.
“The proposals have been limited to, as far as possible, maintain the character of the existing building while offering patrons a more usable environment.”
The application said the whole building was “dilapidated.”
“Floors are bowed and lifted, internal walls and ceilings will also need to be repaired or replaced due to water damage and a lack of maintenance,” the application continued. “Windows have rotted and will have to be replaced “
The pub was put up for sale after closing and was still available more than five years later – with the price reduced from £750,000 to £495,000.
