30 June 2010
By Jon Howard
CAMRA has today strongly supported moves by Nigel Adams MP to bring forward a Parliamentary Bill to help protect valued community pubs and other local services. This is an issue that CAMRA has been campaigning on since early 2009, and was a central proposal in its Beer Drinkers and Pub Goers Charter, which has the support of over 150 MPs in Parliament.
The Protection of Local Services (Planning) Bill will give local councils in England the power to close loopholes in planning law which allow local services such as pubs, post offices, local shops and community centres to be demolished without the need to seek planning permission.
Nigel Adams, new Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty was recently selected by a ballot in Parliament to bring forward legislation on a subject of his choice. Mr Adams used this opportunity to give local services such as pubs greater protection from demolition or change of use, a move which CAMRA has today praised. Mike Benner, CAMRA Chief Executive, said:
'This Bill will empower local communities and offer a much-needed lifeline to community pubs and other local services. Pubs are in crisis, with 39 closing every single week. A third of these pubs are then demolished without giving local communities a chance to save them. Both councils and communities are powerless to act as valued and viable pubs are destroyed.'
For more information, see our Bill Briefing