Nationally Recognise Pubs/Clubs & Venues as Community Assets

Please consider any local café, restaurant, pub, clubs/sports associations and village hall a community asset, i.e. somewhere people can gather and socialise and ensure that these establishments are protected under Planning Law.

Under current planning law a change of use is permitted through the planning application process, which in turn initiates a "consultation" process i.e. the community has the opportunity to object to an application. However Planning Officers have a tendency to ignore objections and rubber stamp development, a recent example local to me had 700 petitioned objections 13 written and the support of a Local Councillor, planning was still granted. The Government must support the community and prevent Council's and developers ignoring the wish of the local populous.

Media reports that society is changing, and that the mental health of the nation is suffering, could this be because people have become insular by not going out.

Pub’s, as an example, used to be a place where the local community met, socialised and resolved local issues between themselves, everybody knew their neighbour, their neighbour’s kids, etc. This sense of community is rapidly being lost. People are sitting at home becoming keyboard warriors and panicking over fake-news, they do not have an outlet to talk to others, attributing to the overall mental health of a Nation.

Community assets should be protected by Law and encouraged with lesser rents, exemption from business rates, they after all are providing a service to the public, the local community and at times law enforcement.

If a building cannot be maintained in it's current use, an alternative use that benefits the community would be preferable, i.e. conversion to a youth club rather that developed for profit.