The space left by pub closures over the last five years could provide comfortable homes for England’s record number of rough sleepers four times over, according to a back-of-an-envelope Alcohol Review calculation.
The Burnham government said this week it will bring an end to rough sleeping by Christmas and also appears to be poised to create a legal roadblock to closed pubs being turned into housing.
Burnham’s inner circle has close ties to alcohol and pub interests, which also fits neatly into the prime minister’s carefully-crafted public persona of pint-loving everyman.
AR calculation: The average UK pub is maybe 250-300 square meters, enough for between three and five comfortable flats. Let’s say four on average, and that each one could comfortably accommodate two people.
So the 2,250 or so pubs closing over five years leave enough space for just short of 10,000 flats, providing comfortable accommodation for just shy of 20,000 people.
This would be enough to house around four times the record 5,000 rough sleepers in England each night last autumn. ■