Dozens of historic pubs from across the country have been nominated for special protection through a scheme inspired by the demolition of the Crooked House.
The List Your Local campaign was launched by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) to protect the region’s public houses.
The scheme was inspired by the demolition of the 18th century Crooked House pub in Himley, near Dudley in the West Midlands, which was gutted by a fire on August 5 and demolished two days later.
Local pub lovers have since submitted 155 nominations, for 65 individual pubs, in just over a fortnight since the scheme was launched.
I am keen to not just protect these wonderfully historic buildings but also safeguard the heart and soul of our communities.— Andy Street, WMCA
Of those 65, 50 are outside the West Midlands – including some as far afield as Newcastle – and 25 are already listed. However, the remaining 40 will be examined on a case-by-case basis on how they can be protected.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and chairman of the WMCA, said: “I am pleased to see submissions to protect the region’s most-loved pubs steadily growing.
“I asked members of the public to get in touch because while we believe we have already identified some of the most at-risk historical pubs in the region, we need to make sure we are helping to protect the right venues.
“I am keen to not just protect these wonderfully historic buildings but also safeguard the heart and soul of our communities.”
Pubs can be protected by two forms of status – Historic England listings or being listed as an asset of community value.
Listings managed by Historic England, which looks after the country’s historic environment, are protected by legislation.
Demolition or alterations of listed buildings without planning permission is subject to a two-year prison sentence or unlimited fine.
The Crooked House was not listed at the time it was destroyed but was a non-designated heritage asset registered on the Historic Environment Record as a building of local importance.
Of the approximately 1,200 pubs in the combined authority area, only 133 are listed by Historic England.
To see the outstanding response from the public to protect their local in such a short timescale is testament to how important pubs are across the West Midlands— Gary Timmins, Camra
The List Your Local scheme comes as a report by the WMCA is expected to outline several recommendations to save pubs in the region from closure.
One of these is an extension to the hospitality discount rate, with pubs currently benefiting from a 75% discount on their business rate bills, capped at £110,000, which is due to end in March 2024.
Gary Timmins, director of Camra pub & club campaigns, said: “To see the outstanding response from the public to protect their local in such a short timescale is testament to how important pubs are across the West Midlands.
“This is the first step in our partnership with the WMCA to protect our pubs and work towards changes being made to planning legislation, ultimately helping people to save their local and safeguard essential and valuable social community assets.
“I would urge people to continue to submit information so we can continue to work towards a thriving pub scene, vital to communities across the region.”
Residents can submit the pubs they believe are of historical significance through the WMCA’s website: https://www.wmca.org.uk/what-we-do/protecting-our-pubs/.
