British Beer And Pub Association And Cambridge City Council

EDM number 1035 in 2012-13, proposed by Julian Huppert on 06/02/2013.
Categorised under the topics of Planning and Service industries.

That this House condemns the decision of the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) to pursue judicial review against Cambridge City Council's supplementary planning policy for pubs despite being introduced by a democratically-elected council; dismisses thinly veiled attemptsby the BBPA to justifyits actions as benefiting pubs when Cambridge City Council's policy will help protect viable local pubs; notes that Cambridge City Council has done what the Government envisaged in the Localism Bill and built on the National Planning Policy Framework with locally tailored planning policies; recognises that the planning system allows the demolition of freestanding pubs and the conversion of pubs to a number of different uses without planning permission, which means that BBPA members and others are selling viable, wanted pubs for non-pub use without the community having a say; believes that the actions of the BBPA are a further example thatit serves the interests of property-owning pub companies and big pub-owning brewing companies and thatit no longer represents the British brewing industrynor does itrepresent pubs, licensees and customers; commends Cambridge City Council's intention to defend the policy against the BBPA; further notes that the Local Services (Planning) Bill would provide much needed protection for local pubs; and calls on the Government to close the loophole in planning policy that allow pubs to be converted or demolished without planning permission so that all changes of use or demolitions of a pub go through the planning process, to allow the local community to have a say and defend local pubs.

This motion has been signed by a total of 13 MPs.