Council votes against plan to protect pubs from being converted into shops

Plans to introduce a borough wide Article 4 Direction, a special planning regulation which would remove permitted changes of use for public houses, came before the full council last week.

Councillors voted against the recommendation from the Economy Overview and Scrutiny Committee, which came about following a motion by Councillors Phil Eades, Charles Meachin, Vikki Slade, and Charmaine Parkinson Since 2005 nine public houses have changed use, including the Sandacre pub at Sandbanks which controversially became a Tesco supermarket in July 2013.

Within the last fortnight it emerged that the Seaview Hotel on Ashley Road could be turned into a Co-op convenience store under plans being considered by the new owners.

Currently developers don’t need to apply for planning permission to change a pub into a shop, as a change to another retail use is allowed under permitted development rights.

Liberal Democrat councillor Phil Eades said he wanted to ensure that planning permission and community consultation were required before any public house was converted to any other commercial premises demolished.

He told the Echo he was stunned that the proposal, which had had cross party support at committee level, was voted down 21 to 18, adding: “It was not about saving pubs which are not viable – it was about at least giving the community their say before a pub is converted.”

Council leader Elaine Atkinson spoke against the proposal – referring to a written statement to the House of Commons made by Kris Hopkins, government minister with responsibility for community pubs, outlining how people can make their local pub a “community asset”.

She told the Echo there was no need for any “additional interventions,” adding: “If something is a valuable community resource the opportunity has been provided by central government that will allow for the protection of that, without putting an additional burden on business owners.”