This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/aug/17/london-council-protects-historic-pubs-conversion-wandsworth
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Councils should protect pubs from developers, says Camra | Councils should protect pubs from developers, says Camra |
| (6 days later) | |
| Councils across the country should protect pubs by barring developers from turning them into shops and flats, the beer drinkers’ lobby group Camra has said, after a London authority said it was stepping in to protect its historic drinking holes. | Councils across the country should protect pubs by barring developers from turning them into shops and flats, the beer drinkers’ lobby group Camra has said, after a London authority said it was stepping in to protect its historic drinking holes. |
| Wandsworth council in south London has told the owners of 120 bars and pubs that they have to seek councillors’ approval before changing the building’s use or knocking it down. Wandsworth said the 120 sites were chosen “due to their historic or architectural value or because they make a positive contribution to their community”. | Wandsworth council in south London has told the owners of 120 bars and pubs that they have to seek councillors’ approval before changing the building’s use or knocking it down. Wandsworth said the 120 sites were chosen “due to their historic or architectural value or because they make a positive contribution to their community”. |
| Pubs are closing at a rate of 21 a week, according to the latest figures from Camra, and under existing regulations they can be converted to new uses without planning permission. | Pubs are closing at a rate of 21 a week, according to the latest figures from Camra, and under existing regulations they can be converted to new uses without planning permission. |
| In London, where the rate of pub closures is running at three per week, high property prices have made pubs increasingly attractive to developers. In 2015, one agent told the Guardian that selling a pub in north London as a potential residential site could attract a price of up to £1m, while selling it as a trading pub would attract up to £450,000. | In London, where the rate of pub closures is running at three per week, high property prices have made pubs increasingly attractive to developers. In 2015, one agent told the Guardian that selling a pub in north London as a potential residential site could attract a price of up to £1m, while selling it as a trading pub would attract up to £450,000. |
| Colin Valentine, the group’s national chairman, said communities were not being given enough of a say in the process when the pubs were threatened by closure or change of use. | Colin Valentine, the group’s national chairman, said communities were not being given enough of a say in the process when the pubs were threatened by closure or change of use. |
| “Camra is campaigning for planning rules to be strengthened so that full planning permission is required before a pub can be demolished or converted to another use,” he said. | “Camra is campaigning for planning rules to be strengthened so that full planning permission is required before a pub can be demolished or converted to another use,” he said. |
| He added: “In the meantime, we would like to see every planning authority in the country follow Wandsworth’s exemplary initiative in protecting its pubs and bars ... creating a fair and level playing field for pubs and their customers,” he said. | He added: “In the meantime, we would like to see every planning authority in the country follow Wandsworth’s exemplary initiative in protecting its pubs and bars ... creating a fair and level playing field for pubs and their customers,” he said. |
| Camra called on other councils to follow Wandsworth’s lead, but said changes to planning rules were needed to protect the country’s pubs. Wandsworth has protected the 120 pubs by serving “article 4 directions” that remove permitted development rights – which allow redevelopment of a site without planning permission – and forcing owners to get planning consent before any major changes. | Camra called on other councils to follow Wandsworth’s lead, but said changes to planning rules were needed to protect the country’s pubs. Wandsworth has protected the 120 pubs by serving “article 4 directions” that remove permitted development rights – which allow redevelopment of a site without planning permission – and forcing owners to get planning consent before any major changes. |
| Wandsworth’s deputy council leader, Jonathan Cook, said in recent years the borough had lost “thriving pubs ... and each time it’s really hurt the local community”. He cited the example of the former Prince of Wales on Battersea Bridge Road, which had been turned into a mini-supermarket, and said the council had been unable to stop the move despite being the planning authority. | Wandsworth’s deputy council leader, Jonathan Cook, said in recent years the borough had lost “thriving pubs ... and each time it’s really hurt the local community”. He cited the example of the former Prince of Wales on Battersea Bridge Road, which had been turned into a mini-supermarket, and said the council had been unable to stop the move despite being the planning authority. |
| Other councils have acted to protect individual pubs, but Wandsworth is the first to take action on this scale. It said the move could be copied across Britain to help protect the pub trade. | Other councils have acted to protect individual pubs, but Wandsworth is the first to take action on this scale. It said the move could be copied across Britain to help protect the pub trade. |
| “Wandsworth’s pubs are now the best-protected in the entire country and have a genuine defence against the relentless spread of mini-supermarkets and estate agents,” said Cook. “I very much hope that other councils will follow our lead by adopting pub-friendly planning policies and then stripping away permitted development rights from their local inns, bars and taverns.” | “Wandsworth’s pubs are now the best-protected in the entire country and have a genuine defence against the relentless spread of mini-supermarkets and estate agents,” said Cook. “I very much hope that other councils will follow our lead by adopting pub-friendly planning policies and then stripping away permitted development rights from their local inns, bars and taverns.” |
| Earlier this year, developers who knocked down a historic pub in north London, the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale, in order to redevelop the land were ordered to rebuild it brick by brick. | Earlier this year, developers who knocked down a historic pub in north London, the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale, in order to redevelop the land were ordered to rebuild it brick by brick. |