Mayor Sadiq Khan announces new ‘London Plan’ to halt the “shocking” number of pubs and music venues closing their doors in the city.

Great news for London venues as the mayor unveils plan to protect important cultural buildings.

On average, about 81 London pubs shut their door every year. Khan’s strategy for the city, to be fully published later in the week, is pushing individual boroughs to do more to recognise the economical, social and cultural value of properties, urging authorities to protect these. This also means that developers building and investing in residents near pubs, clubs and music venues would have to cover the costs of soundproofing the buildings themselves.

Hopefully, this will aid the worrying trend of venue closures, in the capital at least. And maybe cities across the UK can watch and learn.

Khan states that:

Pubs across the capital are often at the heart of our communities or of historic value and should be protected by local authorities in order to protect the capital’s unique character. That’s why I’ve set out measures in my draft London Plan to protect pubs against redevelopment, ensure they can co-exist peacefully with nearby residential properties and ensure that councils across the capital recognise their importance to the city’s cultural fabric.