YORK’S leaders have been urged to draw up clear plans to prevent the loss of community pubs.

The city’s branch of the Campaign For Real Ale (Camra) has called for a coherent policy following a spate of planning applications to turn pubs into housing.

The calls come as councillors prepare to decide tomorrow whether The Volunteer Arms in Watson Street, Holgate, can be converted.

Plans to demolish The Locomotive pub next door have already been approved, The White Rose in Acomb was demolished in November, and similar plans have been submitted for The Cygnet in Price Street.

In a letter to the council, Kevin Keaveny, York Camra’s pub preservation officer, said the situation at The Volunteer Arms was “unfortunate” coming so soon after the closure of The Locomotive.

He said the pubs had been built to serve railway workers and had been unable to replace that custom, but said Camra had hoped someone would convert the pub as a free-house, as happened at The Phoenix in George Street two years ago.

He said it was up to councillors to decide whether the pub’s demise would be a loss to the area or not, and said the decision would be hard.

But he said it was time for the council to “formulate a policy on community pubs and town pubs that gives clear guidelines”.

He said: “It would be a shame to see communities denied a social focal point, which good community pubs are. To finish up with barren areas of housing where there are no shops, pubs etc leads to other problems.”

Punch Taverns, which owns The Volunteer Arms, said the pub was no longer viable and had seen trade plummet in recent years. Punch had tried to sell it without success.

St Paul’s Church, backed by St Paul’s CE Primary School, has objected to Punch’s plans, and wants to take the building on as a community centre.

Jon Farrow, co-owner of another city pub, The Slip in Clementhorpe, has also objected. He said he would willingly take the pub on, but planning officer Fiona Mackay said Punch’s was the only clear proposal on the table, and has advised councillors to approve it.

The application will be heard by the council’s west and city centre area planning sub-committee at Guildhall at 3pm tomorrow.