Pub verdict signals a rethink on asset rules in Sheffield

Real ale campaigners have chalked up a victory in their efforts to prevent more Sheffield pubs from closing.
The Three Tuns, on Silver Street Head in the city centreThe Three Tuns, on Silver Street Head in the city centre
The Three Tuns, on Silver Street Head in the city centre

Members of the Campaign for Real Ale have successfully applied to have the Three Tuns, on Silver Street Head in the city centre, listed as an ‘asset of community value’ by Sheffield Council. Assets stay on the council’s list for five years and cannot be demolished or converted to another use without planning permission.

Residents are also given six months to put together a bid to buy property or land they want to save, if it is put on sale.

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Last year the council rejected attempts by CAMRA to have nine pubs – including the Three Tuns – declared assets. Officers said they could not determine where each venue’s ‘local community’ lay.

But after the group raised concerns the requirements in Sheffield were being ‘gold-plated’, talks were held and the Three Tuns was resubmitted with more evidence. Explaining its new decision, the council said the pub hosted many activities, from folk sessions to book readings, and that the concept of ‘local’ could ‘encompass all of Sheffield.’

Dave Pickersgill, Sheffield and District CAMRA’s pub heritage officer, said it was a ‘notable achievement’, adding: “The ‘community’ for a pub can extend for many miles.”

Applications for the Sheffield Tap and the Bath Hotel have now been lodged again. Verdicts on the Castle Inn, Bradway, and the Cremorne, London Road, are outstanding from last year.

n The future of The Plough, at Sandygate, has been cast into doubt again after it closed on Tuesday. The pub was registered as an asset last year amid fears it could become a shop.