A quarter of all Wandsworth pubs have closed since 1997, caused by a combination of rising property prices and heavy taxation. Yet our successful campaigns of the past year have stopped the rot – with both The Wheatsheaf and The Trafalgar Arms in Tooting saved from permanent closure.
The common feature of these campaigns was that I was able to work with local users of those pubs to get them successfully listed as Assets of Community Value (ACV), which provide planning protection should the site be threatened. However, many much-loved pubs remain at risk and I’m keen that we use the ACV status proactively to ensure they remain for generations to come.
Therefore I have joined with local residents to campaign to protect the popular Selkirk pub in Tooting ward and have it listed as an Asset of Community Value. While the pub is not under immediate threat, it is owned by Enterprise Inns (who have sold several pubs in the area) and being off the high street in a residential area it is at even greater risk. Therefore we want to ensure it remains open by getting planning protection in advance.
Tootng doesn't have much community space so it's crucial we retain as many of our pubs as possible. If you would like to add your name to the petition calling for the Council to recognise the pub as an ACV, serving all parts of the community, please click on the following link:
http://surveymonkey.com/s/protecttheselkirk
To read more about my campaign to protect Tooting’s many community pubs, please visit http://www.danwatkins.org.uk/campaigns/protecting-tootings-pubs