Infrastructure Bill — New Clause 16 — Pubs and Bars — Demolition and Change of Use — 26 Jan 2015 at 19:30

The majority of MPs voted to continue to allow pubs, bars and other "drinking establishments" to become restaurants, cafes, shops or temporary business premises without planning permission; and against an outright ban on demolishing drinking establishments.

MPs were considering the Infrastructure Bill^[1].

The proposed new clause rejected in this vote was:

• 'Use classes and demolition: drinking establishments'
• ‘(1) The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (SI 1987/764) is amended as follows.
• (2) At the end of section 3(6) add—
• “(n) as a drinking establishment.”
• (3) In the Schedule, leave out “Class A4. Drinking Establishments”.
• (4) The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (SI 1995/418) is amended as follows.
• (5) In Part 3 of Schedule 2 under Class A: Permitted Development, leave out “A4 (drinking establishments)”.
• (6) In Part 31 of Schedule 2 under A.1 add—
• “(c) the building subject to demolition is classed as a drinking establishment”.

The effect of this amendment would have been to prevent the demolition of buildings classed as drinking establishments and to make planning permission required for a change of use from a drinking establishment to a restaurant, cafe or shop (or to business use for up to two years).^[2][3]

Pubs, and other drinking establishments would have been taken outside the planning "class" system which permits certain restricted changes of use without additional permissions.

A plain English explanation of the intended effect of the clause was provided which stated:

• The purpose of this New Clause is to aim to ensure that any proposed demolition of or change of use to public houses and other drinking establishments would be subject to planning permission. Currently such buildings can be demolished or have their use changed without such permission being granted.

This explanation did not make clear the permitted changes of use at the time of the vote were already limited.^[2][3]

• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Infrastructure Bill
• [2] The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995
• [3] Planning Portal - Change of Use - Planning Permission (Official Government Website) - accessed 30 January 2015

Debate in Parliament | Source |