D ON ON L Aug Vol 33 Sept No 4 2011 The Plough, West Sutton (see page 56) Tel: 020 7281 2786 Steak & Ale House SET MENU SALE u 3 course meals for just £16! - or u 3 courses for just just £21 including a 10oz Sirloin or Rib- eye steak - or u A two course meal (starter and main or main and dessert) for just £11.50 So much choice there is something for ...Six Cask Marque everyone... oh, and Cask Marque accredited real ales accredited ales! always on tap and You can follow us on Facebook for all events and updates and on 40+ malt and blended Twitter@north_nineteen whiskies also now on. Membership discounts on ale available, All proper, fresh sign up at www.northnineteen.co.uk Steakhouse food. In the main bar: Food is served: Tuesday - Live music and open mic 8pm start Wednesday - Poker Tournament 7.30pm start Tuesday-Friday 5-10pm Dart board and board games always available Saturday 12-10pm Prefer a quiet pint? Sunday 12-8pm Our Ale and Whisky Bar is open daily for food, drinks and conversation. We always have six well Cask Marque Please book your Sunday Roast kept real ales and 40+ top quality whiskies. accredited There are no strangers here, just friends you haven’t met yet Editorial London Drinker is published by Mike Hammersley on behalf of the London Branches of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real NDON Ale Limited, and edited by Geoff O Strawbridge. L Material for publication should preferably be sent by e-mail to [email protected]. Correspondents unable to send letters to the editor electronically may post them to Brian Sheridan at 4, Arundel House, Heathfield Road, Croydon CR0 1EZ. Press releases should be sent by email via [email protected] Changes to pubs or beers should be reported to Capital Pubcheck, 2 Sandtoft Road, London SE7 7LR or by e-mail to [email protected]. Some hope for neighbourhood pubs For publication in October 2011, please send electronic documents to the Editor no later than Wednesday 7th September. he Localism Bill currently going deliberately run down and sold for SUBSCRIPTIONS: £4.00 for mailing of 6 Tthrough Parliament introduces development by greedy pubcos, editions or £8.00 for 12 should be sent to including the gloating of the agents Stan Tompkins, 52 Rabbs Mill House, neighbourhood plans that will Chiltern View Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, allow local people to have a involved. The local property UB8 2PD (cheques payable to CAMRA stronger say, via parish councils or company involved obviously also London). ADVERTISING: John Galpin neighbourhood forums, in local assumes that planning permission for Tel: 020 3287 2966. development in their area. This residential use will be forthcoming Printed by Cliffe Enterprise, could be an opportunity to ensure and experience has probably Eastbourne, BN22 8TR that community pubs are supported this view, on appeal if not Views expressed in this publication are those protected and supported locally at first try. of their individual authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Editor or the and the Government is giving Bob Neill’s letter to Punch Campaign for Real Ale Limited. individual pilot areas the freedom Taverns puts great faith in the Advertise in the next to decide how they want to proposed community right to buy but LONDON DRINKER approach this process. unless more planning protection is Our advertising rates are as follows: The first seventeen pilot areas to given to pubs, the valuation is likely Whole page £300 (colour) £240 (mono) be announced include Bermondsey to include ‘hope value’ for alternative Half page £180 (colour), £135 (mono) and Hackbridge within Greater Lon - use, and put it beyond those Quarter page £95 (colour), £70 (mono) Phone John Galpin now on don. For the Bermondsey pilot, the attempting to raise finance for 020 3287 2966, Mobile 07508 036835 Bermondsey Neighbourhood Forum continued operation as a community [email protected] website: http://bermondseyforum.org pub. is full of information on the It was very disappointing during In this issue timescales and how to get involved. his brief appearance at a recent ‘Save Sutton Council convened the first the Pub Group’ meeting that the Regional conference 6 meeting of a Hackbridge Neigh - Minister said that the planning News round-up 10 bourhood Development Planning system should not be used to interfere Steering Group on 21 June. in the market. Quite obviously a Beer festivals 28 Pub campaigners are encour - major function of the planning system Pub awards 36 aged to participate in such fora and is to allocate land uses and this let their local CAMRA Branches includes ensuring land is made Craft keg debate 43 have any thoughts on the process and available for community uses such as Book reviews 45 your engagement with it. schools, open spaces, clinics, local It would be some achievement shops, and even pubs etc. This results Letters 48 if community ‘localism’ initiatives in differing values, and therefore Branch diaries 52 could possibly help to persuade interferes in the market. It is surely Government to back up local legitimate to amend the ‘use class’ Heritage pub crawl 55 policies by strengthening planning bandings to support the overall land Capital Pubcheck 60 policy relating to pubs at national use objectives and address problems level and in particular to revise arising (as was the case with A5 Fast Membership form 63 pubs’ A4 use class and have them Food outlets). I can’t think of a more Obituary 71 reclassified on their own . deserving case than amending the A4 Capital Pubcheck compiler class to give better protection to pubs Idle Moments 72 Roger Warhurst observes, “ The and at least require planning Crossword 74 Widmore (see page 66) illustrates applications to be submitted for any very well the way pubs are being changes in their use .” 3 Editorial The situation is made worse when estate agents Ye Olde Mitre selling pub freeholds or leases try to insist in their ad - vertisements that the people in the pub must not know Ely Court, between anything at all about what is going on. One exam - Ely Place and Hatton Garden ple from a recent advertisement read as follows: London EC1N 6SJ ‘THE STAFF AND MANAGEMENT ARE 020 7405 4751 UNAWARE OF THE INTENDED DISPOSAL CAMRA GOOD BEER GUIDE 2011 AND THEREFORE IT IS REQUESTED YOU East London & City Pub of the Year 2006, RESPECT THE VENDOR’S WISH TO KEEP THE 2008 and 2010 MATTER CONFIDENTIAL. THE SALE MUST NOT BE DISCUSSED WITH ANY STAFF OR CUSTOMERS.’ Historic and Now I’m not convinced that this is ethical; it would seem rather anti-competitive. For all the traditional Ale-House vendor or the agent knows, someone on the staff or management, or indeed a customer, might be in a Our only Open Weekend this position to make an offer, and so why should they not be given the opportunity to do so? year, Saturday 6th and In the interests of honesty, decency, Sunday 7th August 12-5pm transparency and possibly even saving the pub, one London CAMRA Branch is treating any such statement as the one quoted above as an invitation Come and visit! to post the pub a copy of the advertisement in question. Open 11-11pm Monday to Friday Snacks available 1130am - 9.30pm LD Geoff Strawbridge (try our famous toasties) Nearest tubes: Chancery Lane/Farringdon 4 The Bree Louise 69 Cobourg St. NW1 2HH CAMRA North London Pub of the Year 2009 --10 Up to 17 ales and 11 ciders permanently available. www.thebreelouise.com CAMRA members -- 50p off a pint Campaigning MAKING CAMRA BETTER - LONDON MEMBERS’ REGIONAL CONFERENCE, SATURDAY 3 SEPTEMBER 2011 Questors Theatre, 12 Mattock Lane Ealing W5, and to enjoy a general question and answer 5BQ session. It should be emphasized that the AMRA’s National Executive will be reviewing conference is not intended for adversarial debate Cthe Campaign’s strategic plan in November, around prepared motions, but to build consensus taking forward the findings of the ‘Fitness for through sharing and discussion of information, Purpose’ review that was presented at the April ideas and perceptions. Members’ weekend in Sheffield. These include The venue will be Questors Theatre, five prioritising CAMRA’s objectives to focus on no minutes’ walk from Ealing Broadway. Admission more than three or four achievable campaigns will be free of charge. Real ale and cider will be each year and increasing the involvement of available in the Grapevine Bar at this award- members in strategic planning. winning club’s very reasonable prices. Suitable To give London members collectively the lunches will also be on sale. The bar will be opportunity to make constructive and timely holding a small LocAle beer festival continuing input into the autumn review, the London into the evening. Branches are convening a conference on 3 The London Branches are very anxious to September to hear your views and to formulate make this day a success. All London members recommendations under the banner of ‘making reading this are urged to attend and contribute CAMRA better’. A full day programme with a their views; you will be made very welcome. Our choice of several workshops will allow collective views will help guide CAMRA into the participants to explore and debate in some depth future! the major issues and challenges facing CAMRA Do please register at: and other topics of concern (including the threats [email protected]. to our pubs; responsible drinking, beer taxation, alcohol advertising, CAMRA’s image, attitudes, The event will be open to new members joining aspirations, audiences and membership CAMRA on the day.