Of over 60,000 pubs in the UK, a mere 250 have interiors of outstanding heritage interest. The huge majority of pubs have undergone drastic alterations in recent years and less than 4% have retained features of historic significance.
The Inventory features 205 pubs with exceptional historic interiors and a further 43 pubs with particular internal features of national historic importance.
Not all historic pubs qualify for statutory listing, but they could benefit from inclusion in "local lists" of the kind some local authorities already operate. CAMRA is calling for all local authorities to establish such lists, which can play a major part in influencing local planning policies and raising awareness about locally-important historic buildings, including pubs. CAMRA believes that, at the present time, only about a third of local authorities choose to maintain such lists.
A recent report from English Heritage has highlighted a shortage of resources within local planning authorities for dealing with the historic environment. The report shows that 15% of authorities have no Conservation Officer posts at all and three-quarters of conservation areas have no adopted character assessments. The report also found the influence of Conservation Officers within planning departments to be generally low.