Heineken’s decision to reopen a number of closed pubs means councils need to be “stricter” on rules surrounding selling old boozers for alternative use, an expert has said.
Star Pubs and Bars, the venue-owning wing of the Goliath brewer, announced this week (May 6) that it was planning to pump £39million into 612 pubs on its books, reopening more than 60 in the process. The move has generally been applauded by the industry, but concerns have been raised about what the move says about shuttered boozers.
In the UK, pubs can be sold and redeveloped for alternative use such as flats. Campaigners have been calling for laws to be updated to ensure historic pubs can’t be sold as things other than pubs until they have first been marketed as boozers.
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Chris Wright of The Pubs Advisory Service told the Daily Star that Star Pubs and Bars’ decision to reopen the more than 60-plus boozers – some of which have been closed on a long-term basis – was evidence that pubs can become viable businesses once again with the benefit of time.
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“This proves that as far as Heineken is concerned these pubs are viable if you mothball them for a little while you can reopen them. Local authorities should be looking at this and saying to people who have got closed pubs ‘no, you’re not going to have a change of use – you can do what Heineken does, you can reopen them.’”
He added: “Local authorities are meant to take a viability check – if they say ‘oh but this pub has been closed for ages so it’s not going to be viable’ – well this proves that Heineken is saying you can reopen 62 pubs that have been closed for a while. So can the other people that have got pubs and they’re trying to flip them into housing”.
He said industry leaders and local authorities “need to be more sceptical of people’s claims that pubs are not viable” businesses. “They need to put them to stricter tests.”
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Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ Managing Director, said: “People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out, such as sports screenings and entertainment.
“Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together.
“Pubs have proved their enduring appeal; after all the disruption of recent years, Star is on track to have the lowest number of closed pubs since 2019. It’s a tribute to the drive and entrepreneurship of licensees and the importance of continued investment. We’ve spent more than £200m upgrading and maintaining our pubs over the last five years, and we’ll continue to invest to keep them open and thriving.
“Time and again we see the value consumers place on having a good local and how important it is to communities. Well-invested pubs run by great licensees are here to stay, but like all locals, they need Government support to reduce the enormous tax burden they shoulder.”
The Daily Star has approached Star Pubs and Bars for comment.
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