Woking Borough Council (WBC) chief executive, Ray Morgan, is among the directors of a company which bought the former Robin Hood pub.
According to HM Land Registry documents, the building was bought by Rutland (Woking) Ltd for £1.25 million on September 20, 2018, just eight months before the building burned down.
The company, which is registered in Dunsfold Park, was formed as a joint venture between Thameswey Developments Ltd and Rutland Properties Ltd.
Thameswey Developments is an independent company owned by WBC, while Rutland Properties Ltd is a privately owned property development, management and investment company.
Other directors of Rutland (Woking) Ltd include former owner of Dunsfold Park, James McAllister, WBC leader Cllr David Bittleston, Jonathan Riddings, group accountant at Rutland Management Ltd, and Marc Riggs, a chartered surveyor and town planner and trustee of Woking & Sam Beare Hospices.
Following the devastation of the fire at the former Robin Hood pub on Sunday, May 12, SurreyLive contacted Ray Morgan about the future development plans for the site.
In response, a spokesman for Rutland (Woking) Ltd said: “We are disappointed that the Robin Hood site has been experiencing vandalism and, despite measures in place to prevent this, escalated to suspected arson.
"We would like to commend the fire service for their excellent response in difficult circumstances, and the police for their assistance during the incident and in their on-going investigations.
"Due to the damage the building sustained, it has been necessary to demolish it to secure the safety of the site. Fire damage makes demolition more challenging and time consuming and this process is ongoing.
"The site is currently under police investigation and it is therefore standard procedure to manage the demolition and removal of debris with all scenarios in mind. We can confirm that no body has been found at the site.
"Rutland (Woking) Ltd acquired the site for redevelopment. Plans include parking and office facilities for the Bustler community buses as well as flats with a provision of affordable homes.”
