ACVs

PMA to host pub ACV roundtable debate

04-Oct-2015 - Last updated on 05-Oct-2015 at 15:34 GMT

The roundtable will be hosted at the Antwerp Arms in north London

Related tags Pub group Local government

The PMA has teamed up with the Parliamentary Save the Pub Group to co-host a roundtable debate on the value of ACV listings to the trade.

The listing of pubs as Assets of Community Value (ACV) has become a hot topic in recent months. The Government strengthened legislation earlier this year meaning planning permission is now required to change the use of, or demolish, a listed pub.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) subsequently launched a drive to list more than 3,000 pubs as ACVs, arguing that it protects licensees from pub closures and generates positive publicity.

But others in the industry are less enthusiastic, claiming ACV listings can reduce the value of pubs, and make it more difficult for owners to sell.

The debate will consider the impact of ACV legislation to date and what impact it might have on the sector in future. It will be held on 3 November at the Antwerp Arms in Tottenham, north London, which was listed in 2013 and is now community-run.

Attendees will include representatives from industry trade bodies, campaign groups, local authorities and licensees of ACV-listed pubs.

Save the Pub Group chair Greg Mulholland MP said: “The Save the Pub Group is delighted to be co-hosting this important roundtable on ACVs. This is a very timely event, with a great line-up from the pub sector, to discuss ACVs as they are becoming more common.

Inconsistent

"Now that the Government has told communities that if they value their pub, they should list it, more and more communities will seek to do so but we still have an inconsistent response from councils and various issues that are worthy of discussion.

"The Save the Pub Group support all initiatives aimed at saving pubs and support the ACV initiative, though we are clear that the Government should end permitted development rights on pubs, rather than forcing communities to apply for ACVs on all their local valued pubs as the only way to have any say over their future.

"So we will continue to press for a more pro pub approach from the Department of Communities and Local Government as well as backing the listing of pubs as ACVs."

The debate will be covered in a subsequent issue of the PMA.

For more details contact Mike Berry