"Huge queues outside the Oak Inn in Coventry that opened on stroke of midnight"

[dutchman]

Oak Inn appeal decision to revoke their licence

The Oak Inn have appealed against their licence being revoked.

It was revoked last month (November) after West Midlands Police (WMP) demanded the late night establishment be reviewed.

Cops called for intervention from the council after they revealed officers were called to the pub 25 times in a matter of months, culminating in an alleged rape on the premises in September.

And today, Coventry City Council have announced an appeal has been filed on behalf of the pub in the hope the decision will be reconsidered.

A council spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an appeal has been filed on behalf of The Oak Inn at Coventry Magistrates Court.

“The Court will set a date for the appeal to be heard in the coming weeks.”

[dutchman]

The Oak Inn 'under new management' and looks set to reopen



The Oak Inn is "under new management" and will reopen with "detailed, stringent conditions" it has been confirmed.

The Gosford Street establishment made headlines for all the wrong reasons last year with a series of issues which demanded police intervention.

West Midlands Police eventually called for Coventry City Council to review the pub's licence and after a hearing in November, it was revoked.

It is understood management appealed the decision, but licensing officers have now confirmed the pub is under new management.

However, police are keen to avoid a repeat of last year's issues, and officers have been working with Marston's, the brewery which owns the pub, to make the pub function in a safer fashion.

These include measures to ensure door staff wear body cameras and reduced hours - the pub was infamously known for staying open later than most drinking establishments in the city centre.

A spokesperson for Coventry Police Licensing Unit said: “We’ve been working with the brewery which owns the Oak Inn to address our concerns about a series of disorders and serious incidents at the venue last year.

“The pub is now under new management and we’ve agreed a new licence with detailed, stringent conditions. These include reduced opening hours and an insistence that all door staff wear body-worn video.

“The new licensee is aware of the historic issues at the premises and appreciates that this robust set of conditions is required and proportionate.”

Coventry City Council say it is aware a new premise license was applied for and that the pub is under new management, but had nothing to add to the information provided by police.

[dutchman]

Well-known Coventry pub up for sale just months after takeover



A well-known pub in Coventry is up for sale just months after it was taken over by new management. The Oak Inn, along Gosford Street, underwent major refurbishment last year when it was taken over by a new management team.

It was hoped the pub would be given a new lease of life with new ownership after the boozer became a hotspot for trouble and violence. The pub was known to stay open later than most drinking establishments in the city centre, welcoming punters until 6am on weekends.

Officers were called to the pub many times and West Midlands Police even demanded the landlord's licence be revoked. Coventry City Council agreed and the pub's licence was withdrawn in November 2021.

It wasn't closed for long though with business partners Narinder and Irina, experienced in the pub trade, taking over the place. They implemented new rules to deter violence, closed earlier on weekends and were said to have imposed stricter door policies and security guards.

They also added a menu consisting of Asian cuisine. But less than a year later the boozer has been placed back on the market.

The Oak Inn is one of 15 Marston's pubs up for grabs in the West Midlands. The Wolverhampton pub group has now put 61 of its pubs up for sale across the country.

[dutchman]

It was owned by M&B in my day (despite the outdated Atkinson's sign on the wall).



I think the Sandersons were managers when this picture was taken? They had a three-legged white labrador called 'Smokey'!