Derelict pub reborn in rejuvenated Creative Quarter

Preliminary work is underway on the next projects for the partnership revitalising Leamington’s Creative Quarter.

Warwick District Council and their partners Complex Development Projects (CDP) have received planning permission for initial work on the former Stoneleigh Arms pub in Clemens Street within the Old Town.

The pub, which closed in the 1990s, is now derelict and completely inaccessible with much of the ground floor having collapsed into the basement. CDP plans to remove the rear of the building in order to gain safe access to clear the interior, retaining the façade and side gables.

The Old School, to the rear of the Stoneleigh Arms, is also derelict and CDP plans to clean-up the insides of the building and board up the roof to begin survey work.

The £60,000 project is taking place as part of a funding package with a grant from the Future High Streets Fund as part of the Government’s plan to renew and reshape town centres – making them a more attractive place to live, work and visit.  

The initial enabling work will allow CDP and their team to begin working up plans for the long-term future reuse of the buildings.

A consultation exercise has recently been completed by CDP to ask local residents and businesses what they would like to see in the Creative Quarter, with a particular focus on Old Town.

The results of this work will be reflected in the scheme that the partnership brings forward, and further public engagement is planned for next year.

CDP is Warwick District Council’s Regeneration Partner in an overall 10-year Creative Quarter Initiative and this is among several projects which are set to regenerate this part of Leamington town centre.

Cllr Andrew Day, the Leader of Warwick District Council, said: “It’s great to see a further step being taken in the regeneration of Old Town; unlocking the potential of these previously derelict buildings and transforming them into exciting and vibrant new homes for our creative and digital industries.”

Katie Burn, Senior Development Executive at CDP, said it was important to start these enabling works at the two derelict buildings in the south of the town.

She said: “Stoneleigh Arms and the Old School have been boarded up for many years and have been a blight on the streetscape. Making both buildings safe to enter will enable us to really understand them to start reimagining what this area could become.

“We are excited to be making a start on the next phase of the Creative Quarter, following the commencement of works at Spencer Yard earlier this year. We will continue to work closely with our partners at Warwick District Council and other stakeholders to link all of the Creative Quarter projects together, including the planned revitalisation of the Town Hall.”