Middlesbrough's ex-Crown pub purchase review ordered

The Crown was built in 1923 but has been empty since 2015

A council boss has ordered a review into the purchase of a 100-year-old cinema-turned-pub amid money concerns.

Middlesbrough Council bought the Crown pub for £750,000 earlier this year after former mayor Andy Preston said he was keen to save it from disrepair.

Council chief executive Clive Heaphy has ordered a review to determine if the purchase was an "asset or a liability".

Concerns include how much it would cost to bring the building back into use.

The Crown was originally built for Elite Cinemas in 1923 and has not been in use since 2015.

The pub is on a list of assets, worth £14.7m, that could be transferred to the Middlesbrough Development Corporation (MDC), the body tasked with regeneration in the town centre and Middlehaven.

Last month, the pavement outside the pub was cordoned off until a survey could be carried out to ensure the building was structurally sound.

'Next steps forward'

A council spokesperson had previously refused to confirm whether a structural survey was completed before the building was bought or whether there was an estimate of the costs to bring the building back into use.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Mr Heaphy, who was not in post when the pub was bought, said: "I have asked for a review and a timeline on that.

"I am well aware of the issue and some of the concerns around it. So I've asked for a review to be done so that it informs my decision-making and the way I advise the council on the next steps forward.

When asked what the review would entail, he added: "The chronology of it, how that sale came about, what factors went into it and how we assessed it.

"Ultimately, is this an asset or a liability for the town.

"Regardless, it stands there and we want to use it to make it something the town can be proud of."

Politicians voted to buy the former pub in January.

Suggested uses for the space include an indoor marketplace, educational spaces, or a cultural performance venue.