Heritage Pubs Bill

The MP for Dudley South (Marco Longhi) has presented to the House of Commons the Heritage Pubs Bill which is supported by The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).

This is a private members bill so not part of the governments legislative program and is a proposal to provide better protection for community pubs.

There is already a level of protection for community premise in the Community Right to Bid which looks at anything with community value, whether it’s publicly or privately owned. This legislation allows for intervention when a premise is marketed, placing the sale on pause for up to 6 months, giving you the opportunity for interested parties to raise the finances to bid to buy it.

The proposed additional protection under the new Bill seems to focus more on the history of the premise and to stop historic pubs from being lost and possibly converted. The powers seem to be called for within the planning regime with stronger enforcement and permissions required for demolition or conversion. Similar legislation is being campaigned for in Scotland and Wales.

However, to gain any parliamentary traction the Bill will need cross party support and in view of the forthcoming election legislative time may run out before it makes any headway in Westminster.