A cross-party group of MPs is pushing for the Levelling Up Department to ensure high-street pubs are safeguarded from developers. 

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Pubs (Pubs APPG) has asked the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee to look at the implications of new government proposals for High Street Rental Auctions.  

The proposals are designed to regenerate the high street by letting councils in England auction leases for vacant buildings, including pubs.

These leases would allow pubs to be converted into shops or offices, divided into multiple units, or gutted of their bars, cellars and other important fittings, all without developers needing to use the usual planning process. 

Pubs APPG chair Charlotte Nichols said: “The pub is a beloved feature of so many high streets, and all recent legislation from the government has recognised their unique status at the heart of communities. 

“I believe these proposals are out of line with the kind of support that pubs should be given by policymakers, and I hope the select committee will take time to consider the full implications of High Street Rental Auctions.”

In the letter Nichols said: “We have serious concerns that these proposals are not in line with the approach taken to pubs – and their protection – in other areas of policy. The legislative framework surrounding pubs is complex, and it is vital to the trade that government takes a holistic approach to any changes in this area.”

CAMRA, which provides secretariat services to the Pubs APPG, has taken action too with its national chairman writing to Levelling Up minister, Dehenna Davison as well as asking its 150,000 members to email their MPs to call for pubs to remain protected. 

Full details of the campaign and a link to CAMRA’s easy-to-use e-lobby tool are available at: http://camra.org.uk/saveourpubs