A derelict Beeston pub could be issued with a protection warning after there were a “number of complaints” about the safety of the site.
The Cricketers pub in Wollaton Road, Beeston, closed in 2024 after nearly 60 years of serving the community and was put up for sale around August that year. The property was acquired by the current owner, Kandore, in November 2024.
Kandore Properties applied to Broxtowe Borough Council in August 2025 to demolish the pub, build six shops fronting onto Wollaton Road and Cross Street, and create 20 one- and two-bed apartments spread across three floors above the shops. This application is still pending in the council’s planning portal.
The vacant, boarded-up pub was the subject of a suspected arson attack on 15 August, when smoke could be seen pouring out of an upstairs window.
Nearby businesses and residents reported on Wednesday 3 December that they could hear an alarm sounding from the pub within the past couple of weeks.
Borough council leader Milan Radulovic (Brox Alliance) said the authority had been made aware of “a number of complaints” regarding the safety and security of the site, and council planning officials would assess the building this week to make sure it is “safe and sound”.
He said: “A derelict building is always an eyesore, and it becomes a magnet for antisocial behaviour and activity that we’re trying to discourage – all necessary action will be taken to make it safe and sound.”
The leader said the owners could be issued with a community protection warning if the site’s safety and security are lacking – a written warning issued by local authorities or the police to address antisocial behaviour.
Speaking on the proposed plans to revamp the site into shops and apartments, Cllr Radulovic said: “I think there’s a need for Beeston; it’s a developing and thriving community.
“With it being such a prominent building in Beeston, I’d personally like to see a good-quality development – that’s in the developer’s interests and ours as well. People are always looking for good-quality, affordable accommodation in that area.”
Gary Smith, director at kitchen company Dream Doors, whose shop sits opposite the old pub, said: “I’m not bothered what’s built there, as long as it’s not that pub – that makes the entrance to Beeston look awful.
“If that building’s not going to be opened, then what’s the point in keeping it boarded up for someone else to burn it down?”
Jo Tuggey, fellow director at the shop, said: “It was antisocial anyway when it was a pub; it was a really rough pub. My concern is if they’re making flats, there’s no parking round here.
“We’ve had a lot of shops on the High Road – independents – close: an arts equipment shop close, a yard shop that’s gone. If they’d built more accommodation sooner, we’d have had that injection of cash into the area and they might have stayed open.”
Proposed plans to redevelop the space outline that a “modest amount” of parking is factored into the plans.
The developer states in a document that none of the apartments will be student accommodation or HMOs (houses in multiple occupation).
Plans to turn the space into new homes and shops will be decided by the council at a later stage.
The developer was contacted for comment.
