by Ewan Turney
The Campaign for Real Ale has launched an updated version of its Public House Viability Test booklet in a bid to reverse the increasingly popular trend of converting pubs into houses.
Camra launched the publication, designed to help planning officials decide whether a pub is viable or not, as part of its National Pubs Week celebrations which ends on Saturday.
The test, which first appeared in 2000, has been updated to cover urban and rural pubs and has already been used to fight many pub closures.
The test contains more than 50 questions to assist planning officials, such as: How many adults live in a one-mile radius?; are there any developments planned for the area?; has the pub ever been included in any visitor or tourist guide?; and what is its catchment area?
"Our new Public House Viability Test provides an invaluable tool to planning officers and local communities alike, who are faced with the loss of a valued public house," said Camra chief executive Mike Benner.
"It is not unknown for potential developers to run a public house down with the intention of making a quick buck by converting it into housing."
Currently 60% of councils have a policy in place to protect pubs. Benner added: "More and more local authorities are waking up to the loss of public houses and are adopting policies to prevent their loss.
"This test aims to assist them in this process. It is not a backdoor attempt to ensure all pubs remain open, but it is a means to ensure potentially successful pubs are not lost forever."
The new test can be viewed at www.pubsweek.org
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