Ma Kelly's bar in Fleetwood put up for sale following £400k fine

Ma Kelly's bar in Fleetwood has been listed for sale by a Blackpool estate agent '“ after bosses were slapped with a six-figure fine by the council.
Ma Kelly's bar in FleetwoodMa Kelly's bar in Fleetwood
Ma Kelly's bar in Fleetwood
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Judge orders Ma Kelly's to pay £400,000 over planning breaches

The London Street drinking hole, which opened in December 2013 in the place of the former Wyre Light pub, has been given a price tag of £450,000, Paul Crossley from Kenricks Commercial Estate Agents said.

It follows owner Paul Kelly being ordered to pay more than £400,000 after Ma Kelly’s South, in Lytham Road, South Shore, traded without proper permission for four years, as reported in The Gazette on Monday.

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Judge Philip Parry criticised the firm for a ‘flagrant and persistent disregard’ for planning laws after a three-year battle over repeated failures to comply with planning requirements, including changing the front of the bar, and ensuring it was adequately sound and vibration-proof.

“Carrying out those required works would have been cheaper than the ultimate cost of these legal proceedings,” Judge Phillips ruled.

Mr Kelly, who was described as the ‘de facto runner’ of the business, was ordered to pay back £225,000 of the cash he made while the bar was open in breach of its conditions, and told he faces being jailed if he fails to pay up. He was also fined £90,000 and told to pay costs of £21,080.

Mr Crossley, who said the name is not up for sale, said: “My understanding is that he wants to concentrate on his Blackpool operation.”

Mr Kelly, who is understood to be on holiday, declined to comment when approached.