RIBBLE Valley MP Nigel Evans has voted in favour of an amendment to a bill which would ensure that community pubs are protected from demolition.

The purpose of the new clause of the the Infrastructure Bill would be to ensure any proposed demolition of or change of use to pubs would be subject to planning permission.

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Currently, pubs can be demolished or have their use changed without the need for planning permission.

Mr Evans said: “It makes the utmost sense to bring pubs under the same system as other developments, particularly to ensure that pubs are not simply bought and then converted into housing.

“In rural and semi-rural areas such as Ribble Valley, pubs are at the heart of communities and need to be protected and preserved. However, there are currently an average of 31 pubs closing nationally each and every week, meaning that some communities are now being starved of pubs.

“For instance when I first moved to Ribble Valley, the village of Gisburn had four pubs, now down to one and it is high time that some fresh thinking were applied to this subject to help preserve local pubs and stop this downward trend.”