Two-thirds of the UK pubs to close over the past two decades have seen attempts to convert the empty premises into new homes, according to exclusive analysis from Radius Data Exchange.
Figures show that 65% of the pubs to have closed since 2000 have seen plans lodged for a change of use from A4 to C3 premises, as residential developers continue to search for suitable sites to build on in the midst of the UK’s housing crisis.
During this period almost 2,000 brand new homes have been earmarked by developers on the sites of former pubs, with more than half of those being lodged since 2015.
Radius Data Exchange analysis shows that the majority of public house conversions are unsurprisingly near central city locations, with rural areas seeing fewer sites morphing into other uses
But it is not only residential developers taking advantage. Many old high street pubs are prime locations for conversion to alternative retail units and eateries, with a combined 15% of applications being lodged for C3 or A1/A3 use.
New hotels, office developments and non-residential institutions, such as community centres, children’s nurseries and function halls, make up another 12% of the overall number of change-of-use applications.
The data reveal an acute acceleration of applications to convert empty drinking establishments since 2015, with 1,500 individual applications coming through the planning system to breathe new life into those sites, compared to only 800 in the period from 2008-2014.
The appetite to regenerate these empty sites is increasing, with permission rates across the 20-year period standing at 50%. A combined 23% are withdrawn or refused with the remainder still dormant or with no decision.
Additional data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released in November 2018 show the number of pubs fell from 52,500 in 2001 to 38,815 last year, a decline of 26%.
Combining this with Radius Data Exchange analysis, the data indicate that approximately there are huge swathes of vacant pubs dotted around the UK yet to be converted or demolished. In light of this, we can expect to see the number of applications to increase as residential developers clamour for available space to build out new homes.
