AN appeal date has been set to determine whether the famous Crooked House pub at Himley should be brought back from ruin.

South Staffordshire Council served an enforcement notice on February 27 on the owners of the beloved wonky pub for its unlawful demolition after it was destroyed by fire and a bulldozer last August – demanding it be rebuilt brick by brick.

However, the owners lodged an appeal with the Planning Inspectorate so a public inquiry will now take place.

South Staffordshire Council has today confirmed a date has been set for Tuesday July 23 – and a Government planning inspector has been appointed to oversee the case.

The inquiry will begin at 10am at a venue yet to be decided.

ATE Farms Limited, the owners of the site and the appellants in the case, and South Staffordshire Council have been named as interested parties.

Leader of the council, Roger Lees BEM, said: ‘I’m pleased we now have a firm date and officers will now be very busy preparing the paperwork for the hearing in July.”

The council has stressed it will keep people informed on the case as soon as new information is available - given the “significant public interest”.

Updates on the case and the eventual outcome will be published on the Planning Inspectorate website planninginspectorate.gov.uk (case reference APP/C3430/C/24/3341483).