New government measures will make it harder for pubs in England to be converted into housing or offices.
Under the updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which comes into force on Monday, developers need to prove there is no reasonable prospect that the pub can stay open and councils have to consider the impact of the pub’s closure on the local community.
The change is aimed at protecting viable pubs. Datas from the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) show 794 pubs have closed in 2026, with 82 demolished or converted to other uses.
A consultation by Keir Starmer’s government said the rule change would only apply to the last pub in an area but industry groups expressed concerns.
Responding to the consultation, CAMRA warned it “could lead to thousands of pubs being lost forever”.
CAMRA’s Paul Ainsworth said:
“Strong planning protections are needed to give local people the right to try to save their pub if it is under threat of demolition or conversion. Crucially, this must apply to all pubs so that communities can save their local even if there are other pubs in the same area.
“Without protections for every pub, we risk seeing greedy developers cash in and try to turn pub buildings into other uses like houses, shops or takeaways. This would be devastating for communities who would lose a vital part of their social fabric.”
Today’s announcement applies to all pubs in England.
Housing secretary Rayner said:
“Pubs are part of who we are as a nation. They’re where we celebrate, grieve, argue and belong, the beating heart of so many of our communities, and it’s an outrage that weak protections have allowed too many of them to slip away without a fight.
“That’s why we’re drawing a line so that developers have to prove there’s genuinely no way to save a pub before they can even think about knocking it down, because building the homes we desperately need should never come at the cost of the pubs we love.”
Industry groups have welcomed the planning change but say it’s high costs and tax increases that are forcing many pubs to close.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Allen Simpson, chief executive of UKHospitality, said:
“The biggest issue facing hospitality businesses is costs like VAT and business rates pushing pubs out of business in the first place.
“The reality is it’s quite difficult to make money out of a pub or a restaurant or a hotel with the current tax system so people do end up having to find other routes.
“You can legislate to stop a pub being sold as a flat but what you can’t do is legislate to force them to stay open if they’re not viable.”
A campaign led by celebrity chef Tom Kerridge is calling on the government to cut VAT from 20% to 10% for hospitality firms.
In one of his first announcements as the new prime minister, Andy Burnham said pubs, social clubs and live music venues in England will be given a 20% cut in business rates. This is alongside the rates relief announced in January.
Other changes included in the updated NPPF are a default ‘yes’ for new homes built within reasonable walking distance of well-connected train stations, as well as new minimum expectations for how much housing should be built in these areas.