An Awful Decision

We applied for ACV in March - the same month as the lease was signed - and it was granted in May.

What this decision is saying is that all a developer needs to do to wipe out the community value of a pub is

- sign a lease with any tenant

- ensure that that tenant, or indeed the developer themselves, spends loads of money stripping the pub out - even before planning permission has been granted for a change of use - whilst the council spends 8 weeks making its initial decision, and the developer then appeals that decision, buying them another few months of wrecking the pub

End result - asset of community value lost to the community, essentially forever, tidy profit for offshore property developer who can now plan to change the rest of the unprotected buidling into flats.

This decision is no different from letting them demolish the building then agreeing to a retrospective planning application to turn it into a car park. The effect is exactly the same.

So much for protection for pubs, and so much for "Localism."