Boris Johnson agrees to list London pubs as ‘community assets'

London Mayor Boris Johnson has agreed to list pubs as "community assets" to make it harder from them to be demolished or turned into homes or shops.

Johnson told Conservative members of the London Assembly that he would include specific protection for pubs to stop them being taken over by developers.

London is estimated to have lost 1,300 pubs over the past 10 years.

Assembly member Steve O'Connell told the London Evening Standard: "Good pubs are an asset to London's communities. They deserve to be mentioned specifically in the Mayor's forthcoming planning guidance to borough councils at the moment they are covered as a broad generalisation.

"Unfortunately, a high number of these pubs are demolished or converted to other uses such as residential and retail services which radically alter community spaces and change the tone of the high street."

A recent Tory report recommended that pubs should be protected by stricter planning policies in order to recognise their value as community hubs.