20/09/2010 - Last orders called at 893 pubs
A national housing body has warned that the recent collapse of several village pubs and shops might mean the end of traditional village life as we know it.
The warning by the National Housing Federation followed figures released by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), which reported that 893 pubs were forced to shut down in 2009.
The Federation found that around 400 village shops folded in 2008 while rural schools closed down at the rate of one a month in England between 1997 and 2008, indicating that key services are disappearing from village life "at an alarming rate".
It said the shutting down reflected a declining demand for services in villages where local families had been priced out of the area by wealthy commuters, pensioners and second-home owners.
David Orr, chief executive, National Housing Federation, said: "The cornerstones of traditional village life, such as the local school, the shop and the pub, are disappearing from the rural landscape at an alarming rate.
"Rural towns and villages need to have mixed, working communities, otherwise there is a very real danger our countryside will become little more than a theme park for weekenders."
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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