Property Law

Pub staff 'gutted' after Newcastle site sold to developers

20-Sep-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Pub staff in shock after being told their site, owned by Trust Inns, has been sold to developers.

New World Trading Company announces latest concept

18-Sep-2017 By Georgina Townshend

New World Trading Company (NWTC), known for its Botanist bars, is set to open a brand new concept in Bristol.

Licensees' 'unrealistic assumptions' of property prices

14-Sep-2017 By Michelle Perrett

Property valuers believe licensees think their pubs are worth more than they actually are, the market is less buoyant than a year ago and almost all say leasehold prices will not increase in the coming 12 months.

JD Wetherspoon turns to planning inspectorate over Leeds planning application saga

11-Sep-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Negotiations for a new JD Wetherspoon (JDW) site in Leeds have turned sour after council members deferred the pubco’s planning application for a third time in a year

Liverpool's first micropub is put on the market

08-Sep-2017 By Michelle Perrett

Award-winning one-room Merseyside pub up for sale. 

Community Pubs Minister praises Pub is The Hub for helping North Yorkshire local

05-Sep-2017 By Georgina Townshend

A Yorkshire pub that has opened a village shop and a bakery in its bar, thanks to Pub is The Hub, has been hailed by Jake Berry MP because it has enabled him to buy an Italian aubergine – "possibly one of the most unusual items to be found in a pub...

Rogue agents: advice on avoiding cowboy agents when buying and selling pubs

05-Sep-2017 By Michelle Perrett

Buying and selling a pub is a big move for anyone, so heed the advice from property experts and make sure you avoid cowboy agents.

Admiral sold to Magners cider maker and partner

04-Sep-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Magners producer C&C Group, along with US investor Proprium Capital Partners, is to acquire the 845-strong pubco Admiral Taverns.

Raymond Blanc's latest pub plans refused

04-Sep-2017 By Nicholas Robinson

Raymond Blanc’s White Brasserie Company has had development plans for the historic King's Head pub in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire, refused by the local council.

Celebrity’s historic research could save inter-war pub from demolition

31-Aug-2017 By Fred A'Court

A 1930s Somerset pub that has been closed since last year is being considered for Grade II listing following last-minute research by campaigners and the parish council that could save it from demolition.

Historic Punch Tavern pub in Fleet Street sold

30-Aug-2017 By Fred A'Court

One of central London’s historic landmark pubs, The Punch Tavern, has been sold to Urban Pubs & Bars in an ‘off market’ deal.

Dorset village pub to open after long closure

30-Aug-2017 By Fred A'Court

Traditional village pubs are here to stay and can still bring great rewards providing owners adapt to changing consumer needs, according to property specialist Christie & Co.

Tis not too late to seek a newer world - Alfred Tennyson pub reopens

29-Aug-2017 By Fred A'Court

News that the Alfred Tennyson pub in London’s Belgravia is set to reopen after extensive refurbishment will be pure poetry to locals and visitors. 

Patron completes £1.8bn deal to buy 3,200 Punch pubs

25-Aug-2017 By Claire Churchard

Investment firm Patron Capital has completed its £1.8bn acquisition of 3,200 Punch pubs and has announced that the second part of the deal, to sell 1,900 of these pubs to Heineken, will complete next week.

PCA to confront pub owning businesses over MRO blocking

23-Aug-2017 By Claire Churchard

Pub-owning businesses (POBs) are blocking tied tenants’ access to the market rent only option (MRO) and going against the spirit of the pubs code, according to a report commissioned by the pubs code adjudicator’s office.

Britain's highest pub is for sale: 19 things to know about the Tan Hill Inn

03-Aug-2017 By Fred A'Court

One of the most famous pubs in Britain, the Tan Hill Inn in North Yorkshire, is on sale for £900,000. Landlady Louise Peace tells Fred A’Court what is wonderful, weird, wacky, well known and not so well known about it.

CVS calls for Government to publish rates relief payment schedule for pubs

24-Jul-2017 By Fred A'Court

The Government should publish a timetable on when pubs will get £25m worth of rates relief, a leading business rates and rents specialist firm has said.

Special feature: The lessons of Upton Park

20-Jul-2017 By Roger Protz

East End pubs around the Boleyn Ground in Upton Park, lived and died by their claret and blue credentials, so it’s little wonder a year after West Ham upped sticks and moved to Stratford that some have already put the shutters up.

Free and easy: pros and cons of free-of tie leased pubs

10-Jul-2017 By Michelle Perrett

The free-of-tie leased pub with the potential to buy at the end of the lease, is a deal gaining popularity across the country.

Bison Arms plans dropped despite raising £150,000 via crowdfunding

06-Jul-2017 By Fred A'Court

Campaigners trying to set up a new pub in Brighton have admitted defeat despite raising £150,000 through crowdfunding, attracting the support of local MP Caroline Lucas and gaining the backing of the lease-holding brewery.

Fifteen-year fight to reopen Walnut Tree pub succeeds

05-Jul-2017 By Fred A'Court

One of the UK’s longest-running battles to reopen a defunct village pub has finally succeeded.

Hippo Inns grows portfolio to 10 sites after £400,000 refurb

04-Jul-2017 By Claire Churchard

Pub group Hippo Inns will open its 10th pub next week after spending £400,000 to significantly refurbish the 2,927sq ft site in Twickenham.

What can publicans do if squatters come calling?

23-Jun-2017 By Fred A'Court

What can a pub do if travellers or squatters simply turn up and camp outside the premises? Any unlawful occupation can be distressing and stressful, but under common law the land owner has a right to evict people to regain possession.

London Bridge pubs to receive 'discretionary' rates relief

20-Jun-2017 By Georgina Townshend

Pubs affected by the police cordon that closed a large area of London Bridge and Borough Market following the terror attack on 3 June are being offered business rates relief from Southwark Council.

CMA finds Heineken-Punch deal ‘reduces competition in 33 areas’

13-Jun-2017 By Claire Churchard

Heineken’s proposed acquisition of 1,900 Punch pubs “could reduce competition in 33 areas across Britain”, according to an initial investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

What's in a name? The stories behind pub monikers

12-Jun-2017 By Claire Churchard

Pub names are part of the social fabric of Britain. But have you ever wondered why your local is called what it is or why its name may have changed over the years? Here, we take a look at the stories behind the names

Opinion

Opinion: 50 ways to avoid an MRO

09-Jun-2017 By Phil Dixon CBII industry adviser

Last Saturday in my fifty first season in senior cricket, I was skippering the mighty Cookley Thirds in the Worcestershire League. 

New faces at NWTC and Loungers

09-Jun-2017 By MCA editorial

New World Trading Company (NWTC) and Loungers reshuffle senior staff to boost growth.

ACV support for Somerset pub gathers pace

08-Jun-2017 By Liam Coleman

Almost 2,000 people have signed a petition, within a week, to support an asset of community value (ACV) application for a historic Somerset pub that is up for sale.

Redemption Brewery to open first pub

08-Jun-2017 By Liam Coleman

A North London brewer has taken its first step into pub operations and has strong plans to develop five more sites over the coming years.

Portfolio of 13 Stonegate-operated pubs sold to BlackRock

06-Jun-2017 By Liam Coleman

A collection of 13 pubs, operated by Stonegate on a leasehold basis, has been sold for £23m by Coffer Corporate Leisure to BlackRock.

Community fails in bid to buy Leeds pub despite raising £130,000

05-Jun-2017 By Liam Coleman

A community group has failed in its bid to purchase iconic West Yorkshire pub the Cardigan Arms as the owner agrees a sale with another party.

Low MRO numbers caused by 'complex and convoluted procedures'

05-Jun-2017 By Liam Coleman

Billed as a ‘new dawn’ for tenants last July, take-up for the market-rent-only (MRO) option has proved slow ever since. What has gone wrong with this critical tenet of the pubs code?

Stonegate reopens iconic JDW site after investing £750,000

02-Jun-2017 By Liam Coleman

Stonegate has reopened former JD Wetherspoon (JDW) site Tally Ho in Finchley, north London, after a £750,000 investment.

PCA to examine claims pubcos ‘inhibit’ tenant access to MROs

02-Jun-2017 By Liam Coleman

The office of Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) Paul Newby has approached industry bodies for evidence following concerns pubcos could be inhibiting tenant access to the market-rent-only (MRO) option.

Confusion surrounds rates relief process leaving pubs in limbo

30-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

Pubs have been left in limbo after local authorities say they are still waiting for guidance from the Government on how to implement the £1,000 business rates discount promised in the spring Budget.

Battersea pub gains ACV status before planned demolition

25-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

A south London pub has been granted asset of community value (ACV) status less than a month after the owner notified Wandsworth Council it planned to demolish the site.

Wadworth targets 65 managed sites after £6.5m investment

24-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

Wadworth is looking to take its managed estate to 65 sites in the years ahead, The Morning Advertiser (MA) understands.

Council reverses ACV decision for pub Co-op wants to demolish

18-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

A Sheffield pub that the Co-op wanted to demolish has been granted asset of community value (ACV) status.

Former Mothership creative director takes on Brighton pub

16-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

Heather Pistor, former-creative director of bar and events company Mothership Group, has taken on a central Brighton pub called the West Hill Tavern.

‘Less attractive’ tied leases slow leasehold demand

15-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

Demand for leaseholds has slowed significantly in the past three years, according to a survey from the Association of Valuers of Licensed Property (AVLP).

Three Cheers takes on eighth site and plans £2m refit

12-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

Three Cheers Pub Company has announced that it has grown its portfolio by acquiring the Bedford in Balham, south London, taking its total number of sites up to eight.

London pub successfully avoids ‘turgid’ MRO process

11-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

A central London pub has gone free of tie without invoking the “turgid” market-rent-only (MRO) option available through the pubs code.

London’s 'first community pub' in the black

03-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

A site believed to be the first community pub in London, the Ivy House in Nunhead, is turning a profit for the first time since it came under community ownership.

National Trust reveals it owns more pubs than BrewDog

02-May-2017 By Liam Coleman

The National Trust has revealed that it owns 39 pubs in the UK, meaning it owns more pubs than New World Trading Company, BrewDog and Be At One.

Lewisham Council to review pub planning laws

25-Apr-2017 By Liam Coleman

Lewisham could become the third London borough to introduce an Article 4 direction – adding an extra layer of protection to pubs – after it agreed to review planning laws for the borough.

Deprived areas see greatest pub losses, finds study

21-Apr-2017 By Liam Coleman

The most socially deprived areas have seen the greatest loss of pubs in recent years, while supermarkets have flourished, a University of Sheffield study has found.

Highways England will not compensate pub ‘closed by roadworks’

21-Apr-2017 By Liam Coleman

Highways England said it is under no obligation to compensate a pub in Cornwall "forced to close" by roadworks disruption.

Carrwood Catering closes Kelsall site

20-Apr-2017 By Liam Coleman

Carrwood Catering has closed the doors at its Lord Binning pub in Kelsall, Cheshire, after six years running the site.

Legal advice: Six things to think about when adding to your outdoor offer

19-Apr-2017 By Poppleston Allen

With British Summertime under way and the days getting longer, hopefully, we should be in for some better weather and you may be considering using any external areas to take full advantage.