Work needed on derelict listed pub, council told

A council must do more to protect a listed former pub building that has been empty since 1991, a councillor has said.

The Unicorn in Great Rollright, Oxfordshire, dates back to the late 18th Century or early 19th Century and was first designated as a Grade II listed building in 1988.

West Oxfordshire district councillors were told the authority's executive supported a plan for officers to "continue to find an appropriate and reasonable solution" with its owners in 2023.

But members of the council's Uplands area planning committee said on Monday that it should be given a higher priority.

Andrew Beaney, who represents Kingham, Rollright and Enstone, said the saga has gone on for too long.

"This started when I was at primary school. You cannot tell me it's not a priority case," he said.

"It's a legal responsibility of this council to look after listed buildings and we are failing in this case. It's not on."

Julian Cooper, the committee's chairman and councillor for Woodstock and Bladon, said the lack of a report from officers which had been requested about progress was "very disappointing".

The authority's executive resolved to "continue to work with the building's owners, who are responsible for its condition and renovation, and to monitor the structural condition of the building" in October 2023.

It also noted that "should the structural stability of the building deteriorate…the council will have to take action to remove the risk".

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