Marston's pull out of Wolverhampton pub sale following pressure from locals

The Claregate was due to be sold to Crown Care, a care home company for the elderly, after they made an offer over and above the value of property.

However, director of property development Ed Hancock released a statement saying: “We have withdrawn from negotiations for the sale of the Claregate. We can confirm it will continue to run as a pub and are now reviewing options for our future.”

The current licensees were unable to provide a comment to the Publican’s Morning Advertiser​. However, campaigner and local Mark Hewitt told the PMA​: “We’re absolutely delighted with the outcome, and obviously we hope the options for the future mentioned in the statement will include investment to the pub, so it can carry on serving the community as it has done for so many years.”

Hewitt explained that the campaign to save the pub stemmed from its significance to the Claregate community.

“There are many care homes in the area already. The argument wasn’t against care homes-obviously we don’t have anything against people needing their services. The issue was whether the 72 people who would use that facility are more important than the hundreds from the community who regularly use the pub.

“Everybody values the pub as a hugely important. The pub is a landmark and getting rid of it would change the area’s entire identity.”