Hampstead locals apply for blanket ACV listing

A collection of local residents and businesses, known as the Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum, launched the campaign following concerns about the number of pubs closing in the area.

Hampstead Neighbourhood Forum secretary Stephen Taylor said: “Property prices have been rising for a generation and nowhere more so than in Hampstead. A number of local assets have been turned in to luxury houses.

“You don’t begrudge each individual owner but if carried out to its natural conclusion the area loses its quirky character and becomes an area just of expensive housing. We’ve lost eight out of 21 pubs so far.”

The blanket listing is the second of its kind, following Yorkshire town Otley’s lead earlier this year. If successful, Hampstead would become the first London borough to have all its pubs achieve the status.

The move has been widely welcomed by the area’s licensees and managers. Stuart Holms, manager of The Wells said: “We’re in support of the application because Hampstead’s disappearing. Over the last 10 years, numerous pubs have closed across the borough.”

CAMRA’s head of public affairs Jonathan Mail said: “We’re pleased local people are making the most of the protections offered by ACVs. There is a lot of momentum building behind this movement and we encourage communities to list pubs which are of real local value and are viable businesses.”

Plans to turn Hampstead based the Old White Bear into a six-bedroom house last year drew protests from thousands of locals, including famous faces Ricky Gervais and actor Dominic Cooper. Camden council later rejected the application to convert the 300-year-old pub.

Otley’s bid to become the first town in the UK to have all its pubs listed as ACVs proved successful earlier this week, thanks to a campaign spearheaded by the Otley Pub Club and Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate Greg Mulholland.

CAMRA estimates over 600 pubs are now listed as ACVs.