Russell Brand’s derelict Oxfordshire pub reportedly angers community

In 2021, actor and comedian Russell Brand bought The Crown Inn, a 15th-century pub in Oxfordshire, for £850,000 as per a report by Metro. The local community does not seem amused by how the 15th-century property has been managed by the 49-year-old comedian.

As per BBC, in November 2023, Russell Brand put forward a proposal to convert the pub into a recording studio. According to the report, Brand’s proposal to the South Oxfordshire District Council stated that, along with the conversion of the pub into a studio space, Brand’s transformation plan for the pub also included the creation of a separate community space for a food and drink outlet within the premises of the property.

Brand’s proposal was rejected by the South Oxfordshire District Council. As per Metro, the council found Brand’s proposal unacceptable on some important grounds. The report stated that the council considered the loss of the local pub as an issue of public amenity, and in addition, Brand’s plans to create a studio could disturb his neighbors.

Problems ailing Russell Brand’s management of his property

As per Henley Standard, Adrian Duffield, who heads the planning division of the District Council, said:

"This application has failed to demonstrate an acceptable replacement for the lost facility or that the facility is no longer required and is no longer economically viable."

Locals who have lived around the district of Oxfordshire have reacted sharply to Brand’s transformation plans for the historic pub. As per Oxford Mail, Jeremy Tweddle, who lives in a nearby village, while describing his feelings about the pub which he had often visited in the past, said:

"I have lived in the area since 1989 and have enjoyed many visits to the Crown, which I consider to be an asset to the community and surrounding area. In my opinion, it appears that the current owners have bought a public house, made no effort to run it as such and now declare it not viable."

Russell Brand’s plans have also been opposed by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). Founded in 1971, CAMRA is an organization that advocates for traditional pubs, real ale, and consumer rights. The report by Oxford Mail quoted CAMRA South Oxfordshire representative David Cooper’s views about the project. Cooper said:

"The pub’s replacement by an ill-defined ‘community space’ in an adjacent barn and an even more poorly defined ‘food/drink outlet’ in a very small space in no way compensates for the loss of a pub, which would offer a social meeting place on a regular basis for both formal and informal gatherings and interactions."

The limbo state in which the project exists at present has made the property lie in a disreputable state. Locals complain that the historic property is not being maintained by Brand. As per Metro, Caroline Dempsey, who is a resident of the area, while describing the situation, said:

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"It’s sad. The closure of the pub has ripped the heart out of the local community. It was the place we met and made contact it kept us together…Now we are in limbo. When Brand came here first he said he would not re open it as a pub but things would be ‘cool’…We are not happy and we need a change. It’s getting untidy it needs attention."

As per Deadline, Russell Brand, however, has relocated from Oxfordshire to Florida.

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