Price of new build pubs to soar

The cost of new-build pubs is set to rocket after Chancellor Alistair Darling announced plans for all new commercial buildings to be "zero carbon" by 2019.

Under the scheme, new pubs, shops and offices will have to be built with green technology such as solar panels and wind turbines to ensure they have no carbon footprint.

During the Budget, Darling claimed the move, which has been welcomed by environmental campaigners, would lower emissions by 75 million tonnes over the next 30 years.

Praising the proposals, communities secretary Hazel Blears said: "We need to look at what we should be doing to tackle carbon emissions from the rest of our buildings - our offices, shops and pubs.

"The new aspiration set out by the chancellor today for all new non-domestic buildings to be zero-carbon by 2019 is therefore a particularly welcome move forward."

But the target is likely to increase the strain on an industry already suffering intense financial pressures.

Wetherspoons' first green pub, the Kettleby Cross in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire cost around £3m to build - almost three times as much as a non-green building of the same size.

But some pub companies with new build programmes said they were not worried by the news.

Managing director of Marston's Pub Company, Stephen Oliver, said he "supported the move".

He said: "We recognise that this will be both challenging and increase new-build costs, but the timeframe will allow us to rise to these challenges."

Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon added: "Wetherspoon has already taken the first steps towards making its pubs environmentally friendly with our first green pub at Melton Mowbray.

"If it becomes law, then that's obviously something we will take on board. But I'm sure by 2019 we will be going that way regardless."