In a joint report with think tank Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), CAMRA has urged local authorities to do more to protect community pubs.
A study, carried out by the two lobby groups and All Party Parliamentary Save the Pub Group, reveals that 45 out of 49 local authorities consider pubs valued community amenities that are worthy of protection, but the campaigners said councillors and local authority officers must use their powers “to stand up for their communities”.
Following interviews, in-depth case studies and a survey of councils across the country, the report highlights a number of ways in which local authorities can protect pubs.
Planning guidance
Recommendations include forcing developers to seek planning permission before redeveloping a pub into flats or other businesses, alerting communities when a pub is earmarked for redevelopment and listing pubs in conservation areas or as heritage sites.
The report states that many councils, including Babergh District Council, London Borough of Lewisham and Cambridge City Council, have successfully used Article 4 Directions to “free up” the planning system.
The report also calls for the Government to close existing loopholes, after revealing that 33 of the 49 councils surveyed felt that existing planning regulations do not give sufficient protection to public houses from change of use or demolition.
'Alarming rate'
LGiU chief executive Jonathan Carr-West said: “Pubs play a vital role in many communities. But across the country this precious resource is being lost at an alarming rate.
“Councils play a crucial part in protecting pubs and we hope that local authorities will draw inspiration from the examples featured in this report and act now to prevent our pubs from disappearing forever.”
Tom Stainer, head of communications at CAMRA, said: “CAMRA is grateful to the trailblazing councils who are leading the way in pub protection but it is still too few. We want all councils to follow suit and we hope the ideas in this report provide a useful starting point.
“Pub closures are not as simple as a badly run business or a changing marketplace, there are many external factors and pressures which have a bearing on pub survival.
"Weak planning laws are a major contributing factor to pubs closing and central Government need to give councils greater powers so they can do more to protect pubs from developers.”