Decision details

To consider the Cambridge Public House Study & approve the Interim Planning Policy Guidance on The Protection of Public Houses in the City of Cambridge for public consultation. 

Matter for Decision:  

There are 86 public houses in Cambridge still trading or under refurbishment in Cambridge. In recent years more than 20 pubs in Cambridge have been lost to alternative uses, most for residential development, some converting fully to restaurants and some simply closing.

 

The Council commissioned consultants to produce a Cambridge Public House Study (Appendix A of the Officer’s report). This work included an audit of public houses in Cambridge, to advise the council on the national and local market.

 

Alongside the Cambridge Public House Study, an Interim Planning Policy Guidance (IPPG) (Appendix B of the Officer’s report) has been produced in order to set out the principles for development affecting public house sites in Cambridge until the adoption of the new Local Plan (scheduled for April 2014). The IPPG recommends guidance for proposals affecting the loss of a public house (listed in the Section 5 of Appendix B of the Officer’s report).

 

The first step in developing the Interim Planning Policy Guidance is to prepare a report (Appendix B of the Officer’s report) for public consultation prior to adopting the guidance. The IPPG sets out the principles for development affecting public house sites in Cambridge and how applicants should justify their proposals for change of use/conversion/redevelopment (where planning permission is required) against the principles and criteria in this section.

 

A six week public consultation is proposed from Friday 15 June to Friday 27 July 2012.

 

Decision of Executive Councillor for Planning and Sustainable Transport:

(i)                Considered the findings of the draft Cambridge Public House Study by GVAHumberts Leisure (Appendix A of the Officer’s report).

(ii)              Approved the draft Interim Planning Policy Guidance on The Protection of Public Houses in the City of Cambridge (Appendix B of the Officer’s report) for public consultation.

(iii)            Approved the consultation arrangements as set out in Paragraphs 3.24 to 3.26 including the Schedule of Consultees in Appendix C of the Officer’s report. 

 

Reason for the Decision:

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations:

The Committee received a report from the Senior Planning Policy Officer regarding the Interim Planning Policy Guidance: Protection of Public Houses in the City of Cambridge.

 

The Committee were advised the report contained errors on P5 and P11. The consultation period would end Friday 27 July 2012, not Monday 27 July.

 

The Committee made the following comments in response to the report:

 

(i)                Member’s will contact Officers post committee with any minor errors and omissions in report text. Officers undertook to insert these amendments prior to starting the public consultation.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Senior Planning Policy Officer confirmed the following:

 

(i)                Land owners would need to demonstrate to City Officers that effective marketing has been undertaken for former pub sites before they can be used for other purposes. The intention is to market properties in a fair and open manner.

(ii)              The purpose of the strategy is to give the Council flexibility to agree with applicants how long sites should be marketed for, in line with National Planning Policy Framework guidance. An independent assessor would set the marketing value, the Council would judge if the applicant has marketed the property effectively. It was not the purpose of the strategy to review why pubs closed in an area.

(iii)            The strategy attempted to protect pubs rather than class A usage. Officers would provide guidance in the strategy on how applicants could diversify if a pub was failing.

(iv)            Officers to amend the second bullet point in Annex C (P109) of the Officer’s report to require developers to carry out an assessment of the needs of the local community for community facilities.

(v)              The report draws on different sources of information. Each with separate definitions and benchmarks. The Council now has a baseline of different catchment areas and so is able to model access to public houses in the City. This information was not available before.

(vi)            Different people had varying expectations of ‘local’. The first study looked at pubs, or alternatives to them, within 400 metres as a starting point. Officers accepted that housing density impacted on this 400m catchment area.

(vii)          The Protection of Public Houses Guidance would carry little weight in planning decisions until the final version has been agreed by Members post public consultation. Trade organisations would be invited to participate in the consultation. A Members briefing would also be organised.

(viii)        Pubs that become restaurants will still retain their protection.

 

The Committee resolved by 5 votes to 0 to endorse the recommendations.

 

Councillor Herbert withdrew from the meeting just prior to the vote, then returned after it occured.

 

The Executive Councillor approved the recommendation.

 

Conflicts of interest declared by the Executive Councillor (and any dispensations granted)

Not applicable.