At its meeting on 3^rd February 2014, Council approved the following motion:-

“Oxford City Council notes the possibility of submitting the following proposal to the government under the Sustainable Communities Act:

•    ‘That the Secretary of State help protect community pubs in England by ensuring that planning permission and community consultation are required before community pubs are allowed to be converted to betting shops, supermarkets and pay-day loan stores or other uses, or are allowed to be demolished.”

•    This Council notes that if this power was acquired it would allow the council to determine if pubs should be demolished or converted into other uses and could save many valued community pubs.

•    This Council resolves to ask City Executive Board to consider and submit the proposal to the government under the Sustainable Communities Act and to work together with Local Works and the Campaign for Real Ale to gain support for the proposal from other councils in the region and across the country.”

The report has been produced in response to this motion.

The Board is recommended to:-

(1)  Approve the preparation and publication of a Technical Advice Note to support Policy RC 18 on public houses;

(2)  Support officers in working with amenity bodies and the local community to ensure public houses of heritage significance are included on the Local Heritage Assets Register, and to increase awareness of listing public houses as Assets of Community value;

(3)  To support Kirklees submission under the Sustainable Communities Act;

(4)  Officers will also continue to monitor and review the operation of the Sustainable Communities Act’s effectiveness in bringing forward new proposals for measures that would help to protect community public houses in other Local Authority Areas.

The Head of City Development submitted a report (previously circulated, now appended) concerning a range of measures and actions to help preserve community public houses in Oxford. Councillor Colin Cook, Board Member for City Development, presented the report to the Board and provided some background to it.

Councillor Cook explained that the report before the Board had come about as a result of various motions on this issue that had been presented at Council. Community pubs can be great community assets, they can also be buildings with a considerable heritage attached. The proposals contained in the report would allow greater clarity for applicants when applying for a change of use for one of these building. The Technical Advice Note proposed would support policy RC18 as well.

Michael Crofton Briggs, Head of City Development, added that the Council already worked with the local community to add to the City’s assets of local worth and local interest; and it was intended to continue with this work. It was of particular value outside Conservation Areas, as such buildings could be difficult to protect.

Resolved to:-

(1)  Approve the preparation and publication of a Technical Advice Note to support Policy RC18 on public houses;

(2)  Support officers in working with amenity bodies and the local community to ensure public houses of heritage significance are included on the Local Heritage Assets Register, and to increase awareness of listing public houses as Assets of Community value;

(3)  Support Kirklees submission under the Sustainable Communities Act;

(4)  Note that Officers will also continue to monitor and review the operation of the Sustainable Communities Act’s effectiveness in bringing forward new proposals for measures that would help to protect community public houses in other local authority areas;

(5)  Ask officers to circulate all Members and ask them to identify any public houses that they believe are worthy of listing.