Category: News

General Election – are you voting for pubs on May 7th?

Posted on by Andy Cullen
camra-logo2 We are now just days away from the General Election and the campaigning is well under way. It is crucial that candidates standing in our area recognise how important community pubs and real ale are to you as a potential voter. Already, 772 candidates nationally have pledged their support at the time of writing. A network of supportive MPs has been essential to our campaigning successes throughout this Parliament, from three successive beer duty cuts to pub company reform and planning protection for pubs. Please now join us in urging your election candidates to commit to the following pledges if they are elected:
  • Support well-run community pubs
  • Promote Britain’s 1,300 breweries
  • Represent pub goers and beer drinkers
Find out more at the CAMRA election website – http://ge2015.camra.org.uk/

Community Pubs Month

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Chameleon-pub-sign-no-background-small April is Community Pubs Month. Pubs are vital resources for their communities, offering a meeting place, providing a social hub and acting as a local landmark that can be used by all. The Community Pubs Campaign is designed to give pubs an opportunity to engage with existing and potential customers in their area, building trade, establishing new relationships and helping secure their future success. Visit http://communitypubscampaign.org.uk/ for more information.

Heritage column with Dave Pickersgill & Paul Ainsworth

Posted on by Andy Cullen
‘ Real Heritage Pubs of the Midlands ‘ Midlands RHP 2015 cover Following the success of the 2014 publication, ‘Yorkshire’s Real Heritage Pubs : Pub Interiors of Special Historic Interest,’  the latest book in the series will become available at the National CAMRA Members Weekend in Nottingham.  The formal launch of this, the first-ever guide of its kind for the Midlands, is at the ‘Woodman,’ in Birmingham on 21st. April. ‘Real Heritage Pubs of the Midlands’ includes information on over 200 pubs. They range from simple, rural ‘time-warp’ inns to ornate Victorian drinking palaces – plus intact interiors from the inter-war and later years, once taken for granted but now, increasingly rare. Included are a number of local entries, including:  the ‘Hare and Hounds’ (Barlow), the ‘Royal Oak’ (Chesterfield) and ‘The Three Stags Heads’ (Wardlow Mires). The latter is sited to serve a road junction and used to double as a farm. The oldest buildings date from the seventeenth century and the higher, right-hand part was added in the nineteenth. There was no counter until the present one was installed in the 1940s. Both books are available from the CAMRA shop, with reductions for members. Also in hand is the creation of a local list of Sheffield pub interiors which, whilst not of national or regional importance, nevertheless contain elements of historic interest like some old fixtures and fittings or much of their original layout. Examples include: The ‘Friendship’ (Stocksbridge), The ‘New Barrack’ (Penistone Road), and The ‘Wellington’ (Shalesmoor). In addition, the ‘Royal Standard’ has recently revealed some original distinctive exterior tilework. We welcome more examples of Sheffield pubs with distinctive historical features. Please email information to:   dpickersgill1@gmail.com —— Demolition of the Cannon Brewery Stones bar towel A recent planning application to Sheffield City Council is concerned with the proposed demolition of the Cannon Brewery. This was established in 1838 and acquired by William Stones in 1912. The brewery closed in 1999. Some of us remember participating in brewery trips the previous year. However, the documentation included in the Planning Application to demolish includes the statement; ‘.. production was reduced and ceased in 1992. The buildings have been vacant ever since.’ We hope that this is not a reflection on the demolition company concerned and that demolition will occur in line with the suggested plan, not seven years early . or, perhaps, the buildings were vacant and, for seven years, no person was involved in the brewing of Stones ?

CAMRA urges swift action to stop pubs closing

Posted on by Andy Cullen
CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, is pressing the Government to act now to help save pubs in light of the latest CGA-CAMRA Pub Tracker, which shows that the number of net pub closures in the UK remains high at 29 per week – almost twice the number of pub closures in 2011[1]. These figures coincide with a new clause to the Infrastructure Bill[2] in England, tabled this week by a cross-party group of MPs, which would mean that planning permission is always required before demolishing or converting a pub into a supermarket convenience store or other retail use. Tim Page, CAMRA Chief Executive says: “It is currently possible to convert a pub into a betting shop, pay-day loan store or supermarket without the need for planning permission, making it far too easy for pubs valued by the community to be lost without local people having a say. Given the huge contribution that pubs make to community life in Britain we believe this cannot be right.” “The clause tabled by Charlotte Leslie MP is a fantastic opportunity to get the Government to take swift action to close these planning loopholes. We urge every MP who supports local communities and local pubs to get behind this clause and help secure a better future for the great British pub industry. We hope that we can rally support from sufficient MPs to persuade Ministers to reconsider their current refusal to provide effective planning protection for viable and valued pubs.” This attempt to amend the Infrastructure Bill is a huge step forward for CAMRA’s Pubs Matter campaign, which calls on the Government to make a simple change to the law in England so that a planning application is required before a pub is demolished or converted into another use. This change would give pubs the same protection that exists for sites such as theatres, scrap yards and nightclubs. It would also give communities the chance to have a say when their local pub is under threat. The campaign has so far secured the support of nearly 100 MPs for an Early Day Motion on pub demolition and change of use[3]. CAMRA is calling on all MPs to support the clause and make the changes necessary to support local pubs across the country. Charlotte Leslie MP for Bristol North West says: “We urgently need a change to the law to protect pubs like The Bourne End in Brentry in my constituency from being simply demolished, or turned into a supermarket before the community has had the ability to have its say. Of course there will be some pubs that simply are not viable, but we must reset the balance in favour of the community, not the big developers.” About Pubs Matter
  • Pubs support over 1 million UK jobs and inject an average of £80,000 into their local economy each year.
  • Research by CAMRA found that 2 pubs are converted to supermarkets every week
  • 69% of pub-goers believe that a well-run community pub is as important to community life as a post office, local shop or community centre.**
  • 75% of all adults believe that pubs make a valuable contribution to life in Britain.***
  • 96 MPs have already signed a Parliamentary Early Day Motion in support of closing the planning loopholes. http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2014-15/208
For further information on the Pubs Matter campaign or to submit your campaign as a case study visit www.pubsmatter.org.uk

CAMRA say 600 Asset of Community Value Pubs landmark is bittersweet

Posted on by Andy Cullen

600 pubs now listed as Assets of Community Value in England – but campaigners say Government are letting communities down by allowing conversion of pubs to supermarkets without planning permission

CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale, have today announced reaching 600 pubs listed as Assets of Community Value, following a campaign to encourage local groups to register pubs as ACVs. However CAMRA say with 31 pubs still closing per week more needs to be done to protect pubs – with the Government letting communities down by allowing conversion of pubs to supermarkets without planning permission. “The Government introduced Assets of Community Value to help communities retain valued community assets such as pubs by providing an opportunity to bid for the property if the owner intends to sell. But the scheme is undermined by rules that allow pubs to be converted into supermarket convenience stores and a wide range of other retail uses, without any need for a planning application.” Tom Stainer, CAMRA Head of Communications. Evidence collated by CAMRA earlier this year revealed that 2 pubs a week are converted into supermarket convenience stores, which led to the launch of their ‘Pubs Matter’ campaign which asks the Government to close the current loopholes and ensure planning permission is always required to convert a pub to other uses. “The fact pubs are the most listed community asset shows just how much people value their local pub. It is therefore hugely disappointing that the Government won’t act to close planning loopholes which allow developers to convert pubs to other uses without the requirement for planning permission.” “Planning permission is required to convert a convenience store into a pub but no permission is required to convert a pub into a convenience store. The lack of protection for pubs is a glaring anomaly in the English planning system which needs to be corrected. It is surely not right that a supermarket convenience store is given greater planning protection than a valued community pub.” CAMRA’s Head of Communications, Tom Stainer added “Local people are denied a say in the future of their own communities, and this is undermining the Government’s stated aim to empower local communities to protect local facilities such as pubs.  Government Ministers are giving communities false hope by suggesting that listing a pub as an Asset of Community Value is the solution to gaps in the planning system when they are clearly not.”

Key Campaigns update

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Key Campaign:   Stop Tax Killing Beer & Pubs
 
Ahead of the Chancellor’s Budget announcement on 18 March we   have been working hard to try and secure a historic third consecutive cut in   beer duty. To put forward the case we commissioned a report from the Centre for Economic   and Business Research (Cebr) which highlights the benefits of two consecutive   beer duty cuts and how they have benefitted beer drinkers and pub-goers. We   are launching the report on Monday, 23 February. We urge all   members to write to their MPs ahead of the announcement to ensure this year   is yet another success for beer drinkers.
 
Key Campaign:   Secure an Effective Government Support Package for Pubs
 
We continue to put pressure on the Government to strengthen   planning laws in England to protect pubs from being demolished or converted   without a say from the community. Last month, almost 4,000 members lobbied   their local MPs to support an amendment to the Infrastructure Bill which   would close those planning loopholes. The Government has bowed to the mounting   pressure by promising urgent action to protect current and future pubs listed   as Assets of Community Value. These changes should come into effect before   the General Election. While we still want the Government to go further in protecting all pubs   through planning laws this is a great first step in the right direction. We   are now urging members to start listing their local pub as an Asset of   Community Value before they are under threat. For more   information on how to list your local please visit our campaigns page on the   CAMRA website or contact our   planning advisor Matt Brown by email. 

Is your local pub an asset of Community Value (ACV) ?

Posted on by Andy Cullen
The Sheffield Star (27th December) recently commented on the low number of Sheffield pubs which are officially an ‘Asset of Community Value.’ The Localism Act (2011) allowed communities in England to nominate valued facilities such as pubs as “assets of community value” (ACV). When pubs are listed this enables communities to “stop the clock” for up to six months if they are put up for sale in order to consider local options to save the pub. In Sheffield, there have been only three applications to list a pub as an ACV. The Castle Inn at Bolsterstone was successfully listed in April 2014. The Sheffield City Council (SCC) evaluation document states: ‘This is a commercially viable pub business. However in addition it also facilitates community activities on a regular basis……. the evidence provided shows that the pub provides a number of community uses and that these community uses could legitimately be considered to contribute to its viability ……. it appears that the evidence provided demonstrates that this property’s actual and current use furthers the social wellbeing and interests of the local community and satisfies the statutory tests.’ However, applications to list the Queens Ground (Langsett Road) and the Old Cart and Horses (High Green) were both unsuccessful (August and September 2014). The main reasons seem to be a lack of ‘evidence to paint a picture of a cohesive section of the community centred around the Property’ (Queens Ground). The City Council documentation also mentions that, in each case, there are a number of other pubs available locally. In contrast, two Derbyshire pubs in the Sheffield CAMRA Branch area have applied for, and are listed as, an ACV. The Angel (Spinkhill) is expected to reopen in the near future and the Anglers Rest (Bamford) is now a successfully-run community-owned local, including a cafe and Post Office. It is difficult to extrapolate from only three applications. However, it seems that, perhaps, SCC is taking an unduly rigorous line regarding the interpretation of the evaluation criteria. We await, other ACV applications, with interest. Sheffield City Council documentation: http://tinyurl.com/ls7qkww CAMRA guide to listing a pub as an ACV: http://tinyurl.com/k4yvdna –          Dave Pickersgill, Sheffield CAMRA Pub Preservation Officer

Good Beer Guide 2016 – the work begins

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Yes, we know it’s still only 2014 but work has now begun on this book, due to be published September 2015! Those members volunteering as Brewery Liaison Officers are now working with their breweries to update the information in the brewery section of the book, however as usual we would like to give all our members the opportunity to influence which pubs and bars are chosen to be listed. We have many more good real ale outlets in our area than there is space in the book, so we have to choose the best of the best – where we can guarantee a visitor to our area will be able to enjoy a good, well-kept pint. The voting paper can be downloaded below. On the voting paper is the list of potential Good Beer Guide entry pubs around our area, shortlisted at a recent branch meeting. However if you think we’ve missed an amazing real ale pub off the list do feel free to manually add it! Please choose the 30 Sheffield pubs and 6 Derbyshire pubs that you consider to be the best then either post the paper to the address shown or email it to chairman@sheffieldcamra.org.uk. Once the voting results are in (voting deadline is 31st December) the pubs will be subject to survey to ensure they are still of the right standard and to research information for the guide entry, we also take into account beer ratings submitted via www.whatpub.com. DOWNLOAD DOCUMENT: GBG2016vote

Good Beer Guide 2016

Posted on by Andy Cullen
We are now starting the process to choose which pubs in our area will go in the next edition of the national Good Beer Guide. There are lots of good pubs in Sheffield & District and Dronfield & District, but not enough room in the book to feature them all, so we have to select the best of the best! A voting paper will be available at the December branch meetings in both Sheffield and Dronfield for their respective areas with the results to be established at the January branch meetings (the deadline for returning Sheffield voting papers is 31st December, the Dronfield vote will take place at the January branch meeting). Once the candidates have been voted for, there will be survey work to check those pubs are still maintaining the standards and to gather information for the guide entry, we will also take into account beer quality reports received via the CAMRA National Beer Scoring System. (This is where members rate the beer they drink in pubs and register the score via whatpub.com). For more information on voting please see sheffield.camra.org.uk or www.dronfieldcamra.org.uk depending where you live.

University of Sheffield masterplan

Posted on by Andy Cullen
Uni Arms above As part of the University of Sheffield’s recently published Campus Masterplan, the University Arms could be demolished to make way for more university buildings. The largest of the three development options for the Hounsfield Site envisages the destruction of the building. The other two options, both smaller in size, retain the Arms. The masterplan includes only one aerial view of the three proposed options (p.71 of a 109 page document). In this, the pub is replaced by yet another tower block. The University Arms opened in January 2007, having previously functioned, for many years,  as ‘Club 197, ‘ the University Staff Club. It has appeared in every CAMRA Good Beer Guide since 2010. The University of Sheffield Campus Masterplan is currently available at: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.403903!/file/campus-masterplan-all.pdf