Community group working to protect, preserve and reopen Walsall pub

The Friends of the White Lion have continued to work to keep the pub on Sandwell Street in Walsall, which was closed by owners Admiral Taverns in 2021, from being sold for housing.

It was designated an asset of community value (ACV) in 2018, because of its long history as a local facility for the area, and the group have also put forward a recommendation to the planning committee at Walsall Council for it to be recommended as a locally listed building.

Walsall Council has recently announced that the owners of the White Lion have notified the council of their intention to sell the property and said that if no expressions of interest are received, then the owners will be free to dispose of the building during an 18-month protection period.

The Caldmore and Highgate Heritage Group were unable to raise sufficient funds, despite their best efforts, which meant it could be sold on the open market.

Friends group chair Mark Webster spoke about how the group were able to stop a sale of the pub due to the ACV in place and what plans were being looked at going forward.

He said: "I think we knew that the market for this kind of building for pubs was relatively small, especially in an area like Walsall, trying to support a huge building like this at a time of spiralling costs and running a pub on the ground floor was always going to be a challenge.