THE great British pub can sometimes seem an endangered institution. If it isn't the smoking ban or tough licensing conditions, it is cheap supermarket booze.

Recently, there has been a new threat – and again, it comes from supermarkets. The Corner House in Burton Stone Lane is to become a Tesco; developers are planning to convert The Saddle in Fulford into a mini-supermarket; and Tesco are also eyeing up The Punch Bowl in The Groves.

Well, today comes news of a victory that may give some comfort to beleaguered landlords.

At the moment, thanks to legal loopholes pubs can be converted for other uses – including as shops – without planning permission. So locals who object often don't get to have their say.

Earlier this year, The Press teamed up with York Camra and launched the Be Vocal For Your Local campaign, calling for the law to be altered so any developer who wanted to change a pub into a shop would need to go through the planning process.

When it emerged The Punch Bowl was at risk, York Camra asked city planners to protect the pub with an Article 4 Direction – which would require Tesco to seek planning permission first. Council planners have now ruled Tesco must do so.

A small victory, perhaps, but a significant one. It will give locals the chance to register their objections and make the case to save the pub. As Tesco itself might say, Every Little Helps.

All this matters. Pubs are not just watering holes – they are vital parts of the communities they serve. We don't want a blanket ban on redevelopment, nor do we seek to preserve flagging pubs for the sake of it.

But we do believe that they hold a special place in British life. They should not be discarded lightly.