There was a rather depressing, but all too true report in the Observer over the weekend about the large number of pubs being converted to alternative use. Indeed the expectation that the number of pubs in Britain will fall to 50,000 seems hopelessly over-optimistic to me, and I can see it dropping a lot further than that.
Virtually any established pub in a built-up area on a free-standing site must now be considered fair game for the redevelopers. I can think of several in the Stockport area whose days must be very much numbered, although I wouldn’t want to put the kiss of death on them by naming them.
The Observer report mentions 30% of those being sold being changed into something else.
ReplyDeleteI reported something similar here
When looking at rightmove (and anecdotally) for Stockport, there is no shortage of office space and flats that appear to remain unshifted for lengthy periods. Despite the recession, houses are shifting but at either a discount or at a more realistic valuation depending on your perspective. Many pubs may be struggling, but in a wider economy that is equally dire, I think a number of pubs that shut may very well remain boarded up until the economy improves, and the money isn’t really circulating to buy up a successful pub and convert it into flats that sit unsold for 3 years.
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