Consultation is open from 3 August 2026 9:00am to 25 September 2026 5:00pm
Policy WS/PH: Protection of public houses
1. Proposals for new or enhanced public houses, wine bars, and other drinking establishments where food is secondary will be supported if:
a. There is a local need for the facility;
b. The facility is of a scale and nature appropriate to its location;
c. The use stimulates a designated town centre, village or local business;
d. It would improve the range, quality, and accessibility of facilities, and encourage the social cohesion and inclusion of people of different ages and abilities;
e. Where possible and appropriate, the facility is co-located with other, complementary services and uses.
2. Proposals for public house diversification will be supported where it is demonstrated that the public house would remain the primary use, and it will support the on-going financial viability of the public house.
3. Proposals that would result in the loss of a public house including its site (listed in Appendix J: List of Safeguarded Public House Sites) will only be permitted where it is demonstrated that all reasonable efforts have been made to preserve or re-provide the public house use (including all reasonable diversification options listed in Appendix F: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals) and evidence has been supplied to illustrate that it would not be economically viable to retain the building or site for its existing use and:
a. There is no market demand on the site for a public house, as demonstrated through an up-to-date marketing exercise for a sustained period in accordance with the guidance provided in Appendix F: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals; and
b. It has been demonstrated through the submission of a Community Needs Assessment that:
i. In consultation with the local community and considering the availability of alternative public house provision, there is no longer a need for the public house or its curtilage;
ii. No recent or emerging viable proposals for community public house ownership have been identified for the site; and
iii. Alternative viable community service* use of the public house and its curtilage have been fully explored and opportunities for such use(s) have been exhausted.
4. The loss of any part of a public house or its curtilage will only be permitted if:
a. It can be demonstrated through a needs and viability assessment that the viability of the public house use will not be adversely affected. This should include consideration of cellarage, beer garden, parking, dining, kitchen and landlord accommodation spaces required for the public house to remain viable; or
b. Re-provision is proposed on a like-for-like basis or there is an overall qualitative improvement in the facility.
5. Development proposals affecting public houses must preserve the building’s architectural importance, ensuring that any alterations do not detract from the building’s original design, character, and any historic value.
6. Where planning permission is granted, any agreed activities, operations and, or
restrictions including local amenity considerations will be controlled by planning conditions or S106 legal agreement.
*For the application of this policy, community services are community or village shops that have a floorspace of less than 280 square metres and there is no other such facility within 1,000 metre radius of the shop’s location; followed by post offices, community centres, village halls, public libraries or public reading rooms, and then museums, cultural buildings, health facilities including fitness gyms and village archives. A mix of these uses, co-located would also be considered, subject to local amenity.
Supporting information
6.110. This policy provides guidance on development proposals involving the loss of public houses and their curtilages and provides direction for the enhancement of existing public houses and for new public houses proposed in Greater Cambridge. Public houses are an important part of Greater Cambridge’s communities. They help to foster social interaction and local community life in both urban and rural areas. Public houses also play an important role in the Greater Cambridge economy, not just for the direct and indirect jobs they provide in the food and brewing industries, but in supporting an area’s visitor economy and by providing meeting places. Therefore, public houses help to sustain vibrancy, economic health and wellbeing within Greater Cambridge.
6.111. Diversification proposals should complement the operations of the public house, and the Local Planning Authority will expect applicants to demonstrate that a diversification proposal will support the financial viability of a public house through the submission of a Business Case.
6.112. The loss of a public house can have a significant effect on a local community, and the character and function of an area. Therefore, before conversion or redevelopment of a public house is considered, applicants should explore all reasonable options to preserve the public house. This includes considering reasonable diversification options, such as the provision of accommodation or other ancillary functions to assist with the upkeep of the public house. Examples of the initiatives or proposals that could be explored are listed in Appendix G: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals.
6.113. All viability appraisals should include details of existing public house activities, the need for alternative changes to current provision, and details of the proposal and its financial viability regarding the retention of the public house use, evidenced by an independent review undertaken by an appropriate professional consultant, at the cost of the applicant.
6.114. Applicants should provide evidence that the public house has been marketed as a public house for a continuous period accordance with the guidance provided in Appendix F: Marketing, local needs assessments and viability appraisals, free of tie and at a market price that reflects an independent professional valuation (paid for by the developer). Proposals will only be supported where there has been no interest in either the freehold or the leasehold for the site’s use as a public house.
6.115. In addition, the Local Planning Authorities expect applicants to demonstrate that there is no community need for the public house through the submission of a Community Needs Assessment. Demonstration of community needs should be achieved in consultation with the local community and should include an analysis of service provision in the locality, which demonstrates that accessibility to similar services and facilities will not be adversely affected by the proposal. Whether suitable alternative public house services are available in the locality will need to be determined on a case-by-case basis.
6.116. Public houses can be designated as assets of community value (ACVs) through the Community Right to Bid, Localism Act 2011, which grants communities the opportunity to raise finances when assets are put up for sale and bid for them. Designation as an ACV is a material planning consideration, and the Local Planning Authorities will factor any identified viable proposals for the site to be used as a public house in community ownership as part of the decision-making process for proposals that would result in the loss of a public house.
6.117. For proposals that seek to convert or redevelop public houses to non-community services, the Local Planning Authorities will expect planning applications to include an assessment that demonstrates the site is not viable for use as a community service. This should be an independent professional assessment (funded by the developer) prepared in accordance with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors’ (RICS) professional standards on Financial Viability in Planning: Conduct and Reporting (or successor standards). The professional assessor must have a relevant accreditation from the RICS with expertise in the licensed leisure sector, and they must also not be engaged to market the property.
6.118. It is important that the character and function of public houses are not lost due to deliberate neglect or maladaptation, in particular those of heritage value. When considering proposals for the development of part of a public house, its car parking areas, dining areas, cellarage or pub gardens, the Council will require supporting evidence explaining how the development proposal will support and not undermine the viability of the pub. Equally, many public houses are locally important buildings that have architectural features and historic qualities that should be retained.
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All comments must be received by 25 September 2026 at 5pm.