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Beer and Pub News
CAMRA is still calling for entries into the pub design awards it runs with English Heritage. If you think you know of a pub worthy of an award where the work was completed during 2001, contact Tony Jerome on 01727 867201 for an application form.
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The week commencing 14th October sees CAMRA launch a campaign to highlight the future of London's pubs.
Over the last three years, CAMRA has been tracking what is happening to pubs across England and Wales. Over this period it is estimated that 350 pubs have been demolished, 445 converted to other businesses and 540 converted to residential use. That's well over a thousand pubs lost for good. A few years ago, London was experiencing the loss of the back street local whose turnover was not large enough to cope with the rent increases that many of the large pub owners were asking for. Now, the situation has changed. It is the loss of pubs in prime sites where the property is worth more as other businesses or accommodation. Often, a property speculator will purchase a pub, get a change of use and then sell it as anything but a pub. Once it's gone, it's gone forever.
The day of the theme pub is far from over too. Many pubs are losing historic features due to the pub marketer's need for a pub to keep up with the latest trends.
So what is CAMRA doing? It can get a building listed, both externally and internally. It can, with help from the people using the pub, challenge a change of use or planning applications. In the North London area we helped in getting the owners of the Holly Bush in Hampstead to rethink their alterations and, more recently, we helped the locals at the Pineapple in Kentish Town save their pub. We do not have to sit back and take the changes without a murmur. It is up to all of us to make a noise but it is essential that we all continue to use our pubs, for without our custom they cannot survive. Do your bit. Visit a pub during CAMRA's pub week.
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2002's Twickenham Beer Festival takes place between 3rd and 5th October at the York House in Richmond Road. Contact: www.jobin.freeserve.co.uk/rhcamra1.htm. Croydon & Sutton Real Ale Octoberfest takes place the following week at Wallingford Hall, Stafford Road, Wallingford between 10th and 12th October. Contact: 020 8660 5931.
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The annual price survey carried out by CAMRA has revealed that the most costly pint of real ale was found in London at £2.80. London's cheapest pint found was £1.09. On average prices had gone up by about 3%. The biggest price change was found in the East Midlands, which saw prices soar by over 8%. Probably the best place to live is Northern England where the most expensive pint found was only £2.20 and prices had actually gone down over the last year. One good bit of news in the survey was that there was a reduction by half in the number of pubs charging more than half the price of a pint for a half pint. The reported figure is now 10%.
Christine Cryne
Reproduced from the Full Pint, Issue 17.
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