How do we stop redevelopment?
At the start of our journey, when we became aware that Robinsons intended to dispose of The Northumberland Arms from their estate, we formed our fledgling community group and raised a petition of around 200 signatures, with the aim of applying to have the pub listed as an Asset of Community Value. Our application was approved by Stockport MBC in December 2016 and the premises are now on the councils register of ACV’s.
The listed status of The Northumberland Arms as an Asset of Community Value protects the pub in two ways: Firstly, it removes the permitted development rights that normally exist for change of use of a building, so that The Northumberland Arms cannot be demolished or converted into a house or flats or any other use without Planning Permission approval. As the ACV status of the land and building would be treated by Stockport MBC as a material consideration at Planning Application stage, this would make it very difficult to obtain Planning for a Change of Use or any form of redevelopment and so places a major obstacle for developers and greatly reduces the risk that the site can be redeveloped. As our community steering group contains members of the architectural, legal, planning and property professions, we have all the necessary skills and experience to fight a very effective campaign to block any Planning application that may arise.
Secondly, now that The Northumberland Arms is listed as an Asset of Community Value, the legislation gives our community group a six month moratorium, during which Robinsons cannot enter into an agreement to sell or exchange contracts with any party to sell The Northumberland Arms, other than to the community group. We aim to persuade Robinsons to sell our pub back to our community within this period.
How can you help?
The more support the community bid has, the more likely it is to succeed. If you are not one of the many people who have come forward to pledge your support, please do so now by dropping us and
email at;
[email protected]
You could also write to your local Councillor or MP to express your concern at potential redevelopment or state your support for the community bid. We will do our best to keep everyone informed of our progress and next steps – watch out for leaflets delivered to your address and updates on this website.
The community share offer will be made available in the next few weeks, please be as supportive as you can. Remember, this isn’t just about buying a pub, this is about investing in the future of the
community and ensuring the Northumberland Arms is run as a Community Hub for the good of the area, for us now and for future generations.
The listed status of The Northumberland Arms as an Asset of Community Value protects the pub in two ways: Firstly, it removes the permitted development rights that normally exist for change of use of a building, so that The Northumberland Arms cannot be demolished or converted into a house or flats or any other use without Planning Permission approval. As the ACV status of the land and building would be treated by Stockport MBC as a material consideration at Planning Application stage, this would make it very difficult to obtain Planning for a Change of Use or any form of redevelopment and so places a major obstacle for developers and greatly reduces the risk that the site can be redeveloped. As our community steering group contains members of the architectural, legal, planning and property professions, we have all the necessary skills and experience to fight a very effective campaign to block any Planning application that may arise.
Secondly, now that The Northumberland Arms is listed as an Asset of Community Value, the legislation gives our community group a six month moratorium, during which Robinsons cannot enter into an agreement to sell or exchange contracts with any party to sell The Northumberland Arms, other than to the community group. We aim to persuade Robinsons to sell our pub back to our community within this period.
How can you help?
The more support the community bid has, the more likely it is to succeed. If you are not one of the many people who have come forward to pledge your support, please do so now by dropping us and
email at;
[email protected]
You could also write to your local Councillor or MP to express your concern at potential redevelopment or state your support for the community bid. We will do our best to keep everyone informed of our progress and next steps – watch out for leaflets delivered to your address and updates on this website.
The community share offer will be made available in the next few weeks, please be as supportive as you can. Remember, this isn’t just about buying a pub, this is about investing in the future of the
community and ensuring the Northumberland Arms is run as a Community Hub for the good of the area, for us now and for future generations.