A planning row is brewing over The Crown Inn on Station Street—where Black Sabbath played their first gig. The owners say they’re finalising plans to restore the pub and build a hotel, but campaigners fear they’re stalling for time.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00This tucked away street behind a new street station doesn't look like much these days, but for music fans it's hallowed ground.
00:09The Crown Inn, where Black Sabbath first performed, has stood vacant for years.
00:14Now its owners say they're ready to revive it, but not everyone's buying it.
00:18Toyoko Inn, the firm that owns the site, wants to extend temporary use of a rear car park for another three years.
00:25They claim the income will help fund wider redevelopment, including a new hotel and the long awaited restoration of the Crown as a music venue.
00:34Critics say it sounds more like another delay tactic.
00:38The Safe Station Street campaign argues the venue has already been neglected for too long and accused Toyoko of stalling under the guise of progress.
00:47Campaigners say Birmingham's cultural identity is being lost to corporate drift and piecemeal developments.
00:55With the recent closure of the electric cinema and cuts to arts funding, many see this as another blow to the city's creative soul.
01:04Toyoko insists real work is happening behind the scenes.
01:08They claim they're finalising a project that includes a 300 bed hotel and a restored Crown Inn, promising a boost of up to £4 million to the local economy.
01:18But campaigners argue, without an enforceable timeline, there's little to stop another three years of inaction.
01:26They want guarantees, not good intentions.
01:29With Birmingham already under financial strain, this is more than a row about a pub.
01:34It's about identity regeneration and whether cultural heritage has any place in the city's future plans.
01:41That's a great idea.
01:42That's a great idea, yes.
01:43That is a great idea, yes, I hope you feel like this is your future plans.