The demolition of the Crooked House pub should lead to reforms of the planning system to make it easier to stop ‘unscrupulous owners’ from buying pubs for redevelopment, campaigners say.

The Campaign for Pubs has written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling on him to change the law to stop the predatory purchasing and asset-stripping of historic pubs.

The historic Crooked House pub was demolished without the council’s approval this week after it was gutted by a fire. The police are treating the fire as arson.

The Campaign for Pubs argues that this case should be a ‘catalyst’ for the introduction of a new law that prevents pubs that are 50 years old or more from being sold for alternative use until it had been marketed at the independently assessed value as a pub for at least a year.

Greg Mulholland, campaign director of the Campaign for Pubs, said: ‘What has happened to the historic and unique Crooked House pub is a national scandal, as well as a loss to the local community and its history and heritage.

‘As well as a full investigation and appropriate action, this sad and unnecessary destruction of a world-famous pub must be the catalyst for change, to stop cynical and unscrupulous owners buying up pubs to convert and develop them and to stop the endemic asset-stripping of our historic pubs.

‘We need a simple change to planning law so that no historic pub can be sold for alternative use, converted or demolished until it has been properly marketed for at least a year at the independently valued price as a pub. This would stop the cynical destruction of pubs and allow licensees, local breweries, entrepreneurs and communities to buy our historic pubs and make a success of them.’