Robin Hood pub Stretford: owner fined after fire and repair 2026

Key Points

• Manchester Developments Ltd along with its director Ali Zolghadriha has been penalized with fines over their failure to repair the fire damaged and long-vacant Robin Hood pub on Barton Road, Stretford.
• An untidy land notice was issued by Trafford Council in 2024 and required the windows and roof repair which was later admitted by the company in 2024 and again in July 2026.
• The fire outbreak from the abandoned property in June 2026 further deteriorated the situation and brought another legal prosecution against the property owners.
• Magistrates imposed £18,200 fine on Manchester Developments Ltd; Mr Zolghadriha has been charged with a £18,200 fine along with victim surcharge of £2,000 and prosecution cost of £1,690 making the total of £21,890.
• There exists a planning application (ref 117939/FUL/25) for conversion of this pub to flats and town houses without damaging its original frontage.
• Trafford Council claims that the process of planning doesn’t absolve any compliance of enforcement notice unless it’s officially withdrawn.
• Council is taking legal steps over another abandoned site, Altrincham North Lodge linked with the Pelican Inn.

Stretford (Manchester Mirror) August 21, 2026 – The owner of the fire-damaged Robin Hood public house in uk/local/stretford/">Stretford has been prosecuted and fined after failing to carry out repairs required by Trafford Council, in a case that has drawn renewed attention to the condition of long-vacant pubs in the borough.

What happened at the Robin Hood pub in Stretford?

Manchester Developments Ltd, which has owned the Robin Hood Hotel on Barton Road for more than six years, was taken to court after ignoring a council notice to improve the site’s condition. As reported by Julia Hatmaker of PlaceNorthwest, the company will have to pay £18,200 over failing to repair the structure while awaiting a verdict from Trafford Council on its attempt to convert the derelict pub into housing.

According to a Trafford Council news release published on 17 August 2026, the director of Manchester Developments Ltd, Ali Zolghadriha, pleaded guilty at Manchester Magistrates Court on 24 July 2026 for continuing to fail to comply with an untidy land notice served by the council. The council said officers first served the notice in 2024 because the unkempt land and building were causing harm to the character and appearance of the local area.

Under the notice, Manchester Developments Ltd was required to undertake maintenance work, including repairing damaged windows and broken slates on the roof. In August 2024, the company pleaded guilty to failing to comply with the notice and was ordered to pay £1,635 in fines and costs.

Why was the owner fined again after the 2024 penalty?

The condition of the pub, which has been closed since 2018, deteriorated further after a fire at the vacant building in June 2026, and the repairs had still not been made, leading to the second prosecution. As reported by PlaceNorthwest, the fire in June, combined with the lack of repairs requested in 2024 being made, led the council to take the developer to court.

At the hearing, magistrates agreed with the council and fined Manchester Developments Ltd £18,200, while Mr Zolghadriha was fined a further £18,200 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £2,000 plus prosecution costs of £1,690, bringing the total amount payable by him to £21,890.

In a statement quoted by Trafford Council, an officer said:

“Despite our prosecution in 2024, the required work was not carried out and the site remained in a poor condition.”

The officer added:

“The fire at the vacant building in June this year brought renewed public attention to the property and highlighted the importance of ensuring that prominent sites are properly maintained.”

Cllr Liz Patel, executive member for economy and regeneration at Trafford Council, said: “Companies that own land and property have a responsibility to keep their sites tidy and in good repair. Failure to do so can be damaging and dangerous, often causing an eyesore and attracting anti-social behaviour…” She added: “The council always seek to work constructively with owners to achieve compliance, but where notices are ignored, we will not hesitate to take further enforcement action.”

What redevelopment plans exist for the Robin Hood site?

While enforcement action has proceeded, a separate planning process remains live. As reported by Julia Hatmaker of PlaceNorthwest, a third application was submitted in December 2025 and is still being reviewed by Trafford Council. Under these latest plans, the pub building would be converted into three two-bed duplex apartments, two two-bed flats, and two one-bed ones.

Much of the original façade would be retained and incorporated into the designs of these homes, with the basement turned into cycle storage and a possible future gym. Fronting Urmston Lane would sit eight three-bed and three-bath townhouses designed by Studio Alt. Access to the scheme would be from Ryecroft Road and there would be space for 23 cars to park.

Unlike its predecessors, this project utilises the original features of the pub, moves access from the busy Barton Road to the less congested Ryecroft Road, and keeps the basement as storage rather than living space. Eden Planning is leading the application process for Manchester Developments, with a project team that includes Studio Alt, SCP, Acoustic & Engineering Consultants, Gary Miller Heritage Consultancy, Carley Daines and Partners, and Mulberry.

The council has emphasised that the planning application does not remove the requirement to comply with the original notice, which remains in force unless formally withdrawn. Cllr Patel noted that the housing application from Manchester Developments was still live and would be reviewed in due course.

How does this case fit into wider action on derelict pubs in Trafford?

The Robin Hood pub is not the only unused site drawing Trafford Council’s attention. As reported by PlaceNorthwest, the local authority submitted a formal notice requiring action to the owner of the former Altrincham North Lodge, part of the Pelican Inn site off Manchester Road. Plans are being worked up to bring the 1930s mock-Tudor Pelican Inn building back into use, however there appear to be no such proposals coming forward for the lodge.

A Manchester Evening News report on 18 August 2026 highlighted that the Robin Hood Hotel in Stretford and Altrincham North Lodge in Timperley West have stood empty for years, with both sites having fallen into disrepair. The coverage noted that such derelict pubs are casting a blight throughout Trafford as owners face pressure to act.

At a national level, changes to planning rules mean turning pubs into housing or offices will be made harder, with the updated National Planning Policy Framework expected to require evidence that there is no reasonable prospect of keeping a pub business running, including proof it was marketed for sale for at least 12 months. A government spokesperson told the BBC that councils would need to assess the impact on a community of a change of use.

Background: how did the Robin Hood pub reach this point?

The Robin Hood public house on Barton Road has been closed since 2018 and has been owned by Manchester Developments for more than six years. Since acquiring the site, the developer has submitted two applications to redevelop it as housing, in 2020 and 2022, both of which were withdrawn upon council feedback around the design of the proposals.

The pub has been in poor condition for years, prompting Trafford Council to serve an untidy land notice in 2024 requiring better maintenance, window repairs and roof work. The developer pleaded guilty to failing to comply with that notice in 2024 and was fined £1,635.

A fire at the vacant building in June 2026 further damaged the structure. That incident, combined with the continued absence of the 2024-required repairs, led the council to pursue a second prosecution, resulting in the July 2026 guilty plea and the subsequent fines imposed on both the company and its director.

Prediction: how could this development affect local residents and developers?

For local residents in Stretford, the enforcement action signals that Trafford Council is prepared to use legal powers to address long-term neglect of prominent sites, potentially reducing eyesores and anti-social behaviour linked to vacant buildings. If the live housing conversion is approved, the site could add a mix of one-, two- and three-bed homes to the town centre, with improved access from Ryecroft Road and retained heritage features, altering the immediate streetscape and local traffic patterns.

For developers and property owners across Trafford, the case underscores the risk of accumulating penalties when enforcement notices are not complied with, particularly where a fire or other incident worsens a building’s condition. With national planning policy moving towards stronger protections for pubs, owners may face higher evidential burdens to justify conversions, while councils may pair planning scrutiny with more frequent use of enforcement tools to secure basic maintenance.