In July, in what is thought to be the widest action to protect pubs in the country, the Londonist reported that Wandsworth Borough Council took steps to issue an Article 4 Direction in September 2016 to cover 121 pubs such as The Alma and The Ship in Wandsworth, The Bricklayers Arms, and Railway Inn in Putney, The Plough and The Beehive in Battersea, and The Wheatsheaf and The Selkirk in Tooting.
 
This meant that owners would need to apply for permission before knocking them down or changing them into something else such as a supermarket or estate agent.
 
Under Permitted Development Rights, pub owners do not always need planning permission to demolish a pub or change its use. But Article 4 Directions remove these, giving council planners a chance to decide whether or not to allow the changes.
 
Other councils in London have used Article 4 Directions to protect shops, or prevent offices being turned into residential buildings- - Lambeth, for example, is protecting parades of shops with historic and architectural interest, in places such as Brixton. Southwark Council issued Article 4 Directions to curb a significant rise in the number of restaurants, bars and takeaways being turned into pawnbrokers and betting shops.
 
Coincidentally, The Selkirk in Tooting has just been listed as an Asset of Community Value, meaning if the owners wanted to sell it, they have to give the community first chance to buy it, and six months to raise the funds.