Community call to demolish derelict Cotmanhay pub

A derelict Derbyshire pub has become a hotbed of anti-social behaviour and crime and residents want it demolished but neither the owner or council will bulldoze it.

The former Bridge Inn pub in Bridge Street, Cotmanhay, has sat derelict for more than six years and residents make clear that they are now at their wits’ end over issues associated with the former watering hole.

What should be a landmark gateway for the river, canal and Bennerley Viaduct has now been dubbed “the anti-social behaviour centre” by Erewash MP Adam Thompson.

In mid-March, Erewash Borough Council effectively demonstrated that it too was frustrated with the vacant site, serving a notice on the owner to take action to secure the site against trespass and criminality or demolish the building within 35 days.

It has now been 100 days since that notice was issued and the building remains standing and very easy to access.

From the outside, you can see that the ceiling has collapsed and been burned away in many spots and there is little if nothing left to salvage, with widespread graffiti inside and outside the building.

A sign which once bore all of the individual letters spelling “The Bridge Inn”, which have slowly gone missing over time, is now blank.

Its car park and beer garden are home to a fly-tipped fridge and are overgrown with weeds.

The council now says that it is to take action to secure the site with steel shutters, which will be charged to the owner, but it will not be looking to demolish the former pub.

Residents claim the police are “sick” of the problems caused by the site and that the fire service says the building will only be able to handle one more blaze.

A borough council spokesperson said: “The notice [issued in March] was not complied with. The council is now pursuing works in default to secure the building against unauthorised entry. 

“The building is not structurally unsound or in imminent danger of collapse that would warrant demolition so securing the building is the most appropriate option in this case.

“Quotes are being requested from contractors to secure the building with steel shutters which should be sufficient to prevent unlawful access.

“The council can recover its reasonable costs from the owner or place a charge on the property.”

The council has been asked to provide this cost once the works are completed.

A resident who has lived a few doors away from the former pub for 50 years claimed parts of the structure were now unsound and that a child had recently fallen through part of the roof on one of the lower levels.

He said the building has been periodically boarded up over the years but that these boards were “down within a few hours” after being ripped off by vandals.

The resident had said the pub had been very popular when open and was said to be an attractive prospect for would-be licensees, particularly due to its hours and location next to the Erewash Canal.

A further resident who has lived in Bridge Street for nine years said: “It is getting past a joke.

“It needs demolishing, it needs to go because it is just out of hand. There is an unbelievable amount of anti-social behaviour.

“We have had enough. It has now been burnt to a crisp. It was a good little pub but not anymore, it just attracts crime.

“It must be 30-plus times we have seen police and fire come down here, with the last incident last week with youths breaking in. It is not fair on us living here so close by.”

Another Bridge Street resident dubbed the situation “absolutely horrendous”.

Land Registry documents show the former pub is owned by Bridge Inn Cotmanhay Developments Limited, registered in Paul Street, London, and was bought for £200,000 in 2020.

It also shows that GKS Bridging Services, incorporated in the Cayman Islands, has a legal interest in the property, as of December 2019, meaning it has been used to secure a debt or mortgage.

GBP Padgbury Lane Ltd owns the majority of Bridge Inn Cotmanhay Developments Limited.

Nicholas Reagen, of Silk Point, Queens Avenue, Macclesfield, in Cheshire, owns GBP Padgbury Lane Ltd and is in charge of six further companies, all of which are for the “development of building projects”.

All emergency services were asked for the number of incidents they have been called to at the pub since its closure.

A Derbyshire police spokesperson said it was “aware of ongoing issues with anti-social behaviour” and that “officers carry out regular patrols in the area”.

Craig Whyles, divisional director for Derbyshire at East Midlands Ambulance Service, advised people only to call 999 in an emergency.

The fire service was approached for comment but has not responded as of this article’s publication.