CAMRA is calling on the government to rethink plans to weaken protections in the English planning system, which it says could lead to thousands of pubs being lost.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is consulting on plans to change the National Planning Policy Framework. Existing planning rules mean local councils have to protect all pubs, as they are considered vital community facilities.
Pubs are offered protections in the planning system, including the need for planning permission to be granted before a pub can be demolished or converted into houses, shops, or takeaways.
But under the government’s new plans, protections would only apply if a pub were the last one in the local area.
The consumer group is warning that this could see thousands of pubs converted into flats, houses, shops, or takeaways by greedy developers — even when local people want to save them as community locals.
The proposal comes shortly after a government rethink on business rates bill increases for pubs in England, which threatened thousands of local pubs across the country.
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But CAMRA argues that it doesn’t make sense to give help with business rates bills to stop pub closures, then change planning rules which could lead to more pubs being lost forever.
“Strong planning protections are needed to give local people the right to try to save their pub if it is under threat of demolition or conversion,” said Paul Ainsworth, national planning policy adviser at CAMRA. “Crucially, this must apply to all pubs, so that communities can save their local even if there are other pubs in the same area.
“Without protections for every pub, we risk seeing greedy developers cash in and try to turn pub buildings into other uses like houses, shops, or takeaways. This would be devastating for communities who would lose a vital part of their social fabric.
“CAMRA wants government ministers to rethink this proposal and keep strong protections for all pubs in the planning system so our locals can keep serving their communities instead of being lost forever.”
