Penalties 'insufficient' to deter demolition, says pub campaign
Pressure group Campaign for Pubs' campaign director has said the recent demolition without permission of the Crooked House demonstrates "it is far too easy for our pubs to be lost… at the expense of the community".
Talking to The Caterer, Greg Mulholland said penalties were an "insufficient" deterrent.
Mulholland's comments came as separate pub campaign group Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) released data last week which reported 96 pubs were lost to conversion or demolition across the UK in the first six months of the year, with almost a third (31) of those lacking planning permission.
Mulholland said the country's pubs had witnessed "an absolute decimation" in recent years, adding: "We need to get angry about the fact our pubs don't have basic protection."
The case of the Crooked House in Himley, Staffordshire, dubbed ‘Britain's wonkiest pub', caught national attention after it caught fire on 5 August, nine days after property developer firm ATE Farms purchased the property from Marston's. Police are investigating it as an arson attack.
The owners then demolished it two days after the fire without permission from South Staffordshire Council. The council said it had spoken to the owners but did not agree to a full demolition and was considering legal action.
Three days after demolition, on 10 August, Campaign for Pubs sent a four-page letter to prime minister Rishi Sunak urging him to "wake up and stop the asset-stripping of our world-famous pubs" and called on the government to support the campaign group's ‘Give Pubs Protection' campaign. The campaign seeks to ensure any pub that is over 50 years old and is put up for sale must be marketed as a pub for at least a year before it can be sold for any other use or given permission for conversion or demolition.
Mulholland said the planning laws introduced in 2017 meant pubs in England could not be converted or demolished without permission and provided an "an essential step" to afford pubs some protection, but the law "did not give protection beyond meaning that you have to go through the planning process".
He added that few councils had "strong pub-policies in their planning department", and that pubs needed legislative protection.
Mulholland said the campaign group was the first to call for the Crooked House to be rebuilt brick-by-brick, a call supported by CAMRA, as well as other groups including Historic England.
He cited previous similar occurrences, such as at the Carlton Tavern in London's Maida Vale, which was demolished in 2015 by property developer CLTX. After the firm was denied planning permission to convert it into 10 flats, it ordered its demolition. Following a local campaign and support from councillors, Westminster City Council ordered for it to be rebuilt brick-by-brick.
Similarly, the Grade-II listed Punch Bowl Inn at Hurst Green, Lancashire, was demolished in 2021 without permission. In March of this year, it too was reordered by local courts to be rebuilt.
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