Wandsworth Council writes:<\/p>\n
Wandsworth has cemented its reputation as the \u2018most pub-friendly council\u2019 in the country by removing permitted development rights from 120 of the boroughs best loved bars and taverns.\u00a0 It means these valued local venues <\/a>can no longer be converted into mini-supermarkets, estate agents, homes or shops without the need for planning permission.<\/p>\n Wandsworth is the first local authority in the country to\u00a0publish \u2018Article 4 Directions\u2019 on this scale and the pioneering move could be copied up and down the country to help defend the nation\u2019s vulnerable pub trade.<\/p>\n In recent years an alarming number of local inns and taverns, including many viable and thriving businesses, have been quietly converted into other uses. Councils have been powerless to stop them, as owners have \u2018permitted development rights\u2019 allowing them to make the change without the need for planning permission.<\/p>\n The fast spread of mini-supermarkets has exacerbated the problem, with the major chains competing all over the country to find new premises and often choosing to convert pubs rather than taking over existing retail units.\u00a0\u00a0 But following Wandsworth Council\u2019s ground breaking move all 120 pub owners affected will have to seek approval from the town hall before changing the building use or knocking it down.<\/p>\n In preparation for the Article 4 Directions, the council has already approved new planning guidance which specifically recognises the historic, architectural and community value of Wandsworth\u2019s pubs.<\/p>\n This new policy, which\u00a0 prompted The Publican Morning Advertiser to ask if Wandsworth is officially \u2018the country\u2019s most pub-friendly council\u2019<\/a>, now gives councillors valid grounds to refuse applications to convert any of these 120 venues into another use.<\/p>\n Deputy council leader Jonathan Cook said: \u2018Wandsworth\u2019s pubs are now the best protected in the entire country and have a genuine\u00a0defence against the relentless spread of mini-supermarkets and estate agents.\u00a0 We know how much our residents love their locals and in many cases they really are the epicenter of community life. I\u2019m proud and delighted we\u2019ve found a way to protect them.\u00a0 I very much hope that other councils will follow our lead by adopting pub-friendly planning policies and then stripping away permitted development rights from their local inns, bars and taverns. This could be a real turning point for our nation\u2019s superb but vulnerable pub trade and Wandsworth is more than ready to share its approach with other authorities.\u2019<\/p>\n Geoff Strawbridge, Greater London CAMRA<\/a> Regional Director, said: \u2018I would like to see every planning authority in the country follow Wandsworth\u2019s exemplary initiative in protecting its pubs and bars by removing permitted development rights.\u2019<\/p>\n The 120 bars and pubs were chosen due to their historic or architectural value or because they make a positive contribution to their community.<\/p>\n They include The Alma, The Ship and The Cat\u2019s Back in Wandsworth, The Bricklayers Arms, Arab Boy and Railway in Putney, The Plough , Falcon and The Beehive in Battersea and The Selkirk, Trafalgar Arms and Wheatsheaf in Tooting and the Bedford, Regent and Prince of Wales in Balham.\u00a0 Some pubs that are currently closed have also been given protection, including the White Lion in Putney High Street and The Brewery Tap in Wandsworth High Street. It\u2019s hoped this will give an added incentive to the owners to bring them back into use.<\/p>\n The Article 4 Directions were published\u00a0on 12 August 2016 and pub owners have all been notified. Following consultation the Directions will need to be confirmed by the council enabling them to come into force in August 2017.<\/p>\n View the press release<\/a><\/p>\n Read more<\/a> at Local Gov UK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wandsworth Council in London is potentially the most \u2018pub friendly\u2019 Local Authority, as it has introduced Article 4 Directions to restrict changes of use to public houses. Wandsworth Council writes: Wandsworth has cemented its reputation as the \u2018most pub-friendly council\u2019 … Continue reading