Category: News

Pubs that are listed as Assets of Community Value (England only) require planning permission to be demolished or changed to any other use. In effect existing permitted development rights will be removed for pubs listed as ACVs for as long as the pub is on the local authorities list. These landmark changes can be attributed to our continued campaign and to the thousands of CAMRA members who lobbied their MP to abolish permitted development rights for pubs. In a second landmark decision a First Tier Tribunal concluded that the London Borough of Lewisham were correct to conclude that a local CAMRA branch is a valid nominating body. As such, local CAMRA branches can now nominate pubs to be listed as Assets of Community Value in their name. The planning changes and the tribunal decision could see CAMRA’s role in the Community Right to Bid process increase substantially and as a result of these changes CAMRA may have an even greater say in the future of pubs in England. The changes laid before Parliament on 12th March 2015 came into force on 6th April 2015 and can summarised:

• Pubs listed as ACVs require planning permission to change their use or be demolished. This includes pubs already listed as ACVs.
• Planning permission will be required to change the use or demolish a pub from the point of nomination. CAMRA requested this to be included in the amendments and the Government obliged.
• Planning permission will be required for change of use and/or demolition for the period that the pub is listed: five years from the date of listing.
• As part of the changes, pub owners and developers will be required to ascertain whether pubs not on the asset list have actually been nominated. This must be done formally in writing.
• The local authority has 56 days to confirm whether the pub is listed or nominated. This means that the owner cannot change use or demolish a pub lawfully within the prescribed 56 day period.

As a result of these changes CAMRA urges members to nominate pubs to your local authority. Sheffield City Council information is available at: https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/in-your-area/report_request/community-assets.html Please note that the nomination of a pub will prevent any immediate change of use or demolition. Dave Pickersgill

The latest Retail Price Index (RPI) now includes ‘craft beer’. Hence, we contacted the Office for National Statistics for their definition: ‘The aim is to pick up prices for a single 500ml bottle of beer. They are not mainstream beers, are usually well packaged and are sometimes considered to be of higher quality. They must be UK brewed. Fruit/wheat beers, ginger beer and lagers are excluded from the collection. It could be produced by a micro brewery or a major brewer but should not be one of the standard brands. We leave the selection to the collectors and the expectation is that they will select a reasonably wide range of beers that fit the broad description. That way, we increase the number of prices collected and have as wide a sample as possible with the aim of best measuring price change. ‘ So there we have it, at last a clear definition, the UK Government, Office for National Statistics say ‘craft beer’ is UK-brewed and only available in 500 ml bottles. However, it is not a ‘standard brand.’

While downing a convivial pint with friends at one of Sheffield’s premier cask ale pubs, I was dismayed to find that while the beer was served in oversized glasses, there was an absence of the good thick creamy head which typifies (or used to typify) a pint of fine Yorkshire ale. The little head there was, was thin and resembled washing up bubbles in texture. My musings led me to the much discussed and intensely opinion dividing subject of sparklers or no sparklers so here’s my two pennorth: Traditionally, northern beers or more correctly, Yorkshire beers are served through a sparkler while beers from other regions are served without. As a proud Yorkshireman I’m no doubt influenced to some degree by this but as that proud Yorkshire man, I’m a little saddened that some of the best cask ale pubs in our city are choosing to serve their beer without that tight, creamy head which clings to the glass and lets you know how many pulls you’ve had from it. It’s often argued by the no sparkler corner that perfectly conditioned beer needs no sparkler. Probably true but as with most things in life, true perfection is well nigh impossible to achieve on a regular basis. There are so many variables from brewer to cellar man that the perfectly conditioned pint is not always achievable no matter how good the craftsman. It would make sense then to get a little help wherever we can. To my mind sparklers do one simple and incredibly important thing……They AERATE the beer. Please, please don’t confuse this with the no sparkler corner’s argument that sparklers “knock condition (CO2) out of the beer”. CO2 and air are two totally different substances. They affect the taste of beer differently. Take for example a pint of normal keg which has CO2 dissolved in it and a pint of the exact same beer but with a Nitrogen mix dissolved in it, so called “smooth beer”.  The characteristics are totally different because there are different gases dissolved in it. Why is aerating so vitally important to taste? Well, ask yourself this, when a wine expert smells a wine what’s the first thing he does? He swirls it in the glass. Why? To get air into it and release its aroma. When he tastes the wine what’s the first thing he does after he’s taken a sip? He does that daft slurping thing we all laugh at…he AERATES the wine in his mouth. Why? To release its flavour.   If it works for wine then it works for beer and any other liquid you care to taste. It’s the same with cask. Some CO2 is displaced from the beer into the head (creating of course, said head) by the aeration but the same process dissolves 21% oxygen, 78% nitrogen, 1% argon and all the other trace gases present in air into the beer affecting its taste (whether to its benefit or detriment is, of course, the $64,000 question). On a final note and as a dire warning not to let the great American tradition of pretending they invented something great and therefore know all about it, creep into cask ale writing, I recently read a treatise online vehemently demonising the sparkler. The writer’s credentials? He was an American who cited his visit to “the great Yorkshire city of Burton Upon Trent” as inspiration for his tirade against the sparkler……’Nuff said. Musings over. Craig Harris

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/

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

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 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.