Campaigners hoping to stop developers building a house in a popular pub garden have seen their bid to get the boozer listed as an “asset of community value” accepted by the council.

On Monday, Camden Council agreed to calls from the Primrose Hill Community Association (PHCA) for The Albert in Primrose Hill to be added to the list.

The successful move now allows the community the right to bid for the building should developers ever decide to sell it.

It comes as a row continues to grow between the pub’s owners and its drinkers after proposals emerged to build a house in half The Albert’s garden.

While the building’s owners and landlords insist there are no plans to close down the pub, regulars fear the development is just one step towards turning the whole building into luxury housing.

The listing as an asset of community value – a scheme brought in under the Localism Act 2011 – does not place any restriction on what an owner can do with their property, but it could be a factor considered by councillors and council officers when deciding on any planning application.

Maureen Betts, chair of the PHCA, told the Ham&High: “We did this on behalf of all of those trying to save the Albert pub from being turned into housing.

“Primrose Hill is losing a lot of work places and nice areas people in the community want to go to housing.

“We believe this will stop them building a house in the garden when they submit the application.”

The PHCA submitted the nomination for listing along with the Primrose Hill Conservation Area Advisory Committee.

In making its decision, the council said of The Albert: “The Albert is a traditional pub serving the local community and as such is distinct from other pubs in Primrose Hill.

“Social, sporting and cultural groups meet at the pub regularly and it is more generally a social hub for the area.

“The garden is a particularly valued feature of the pub.

“There is significant evidence of local support for the pub in that the nomination came jointly from two local organisations, there have been media articles, social media campaigns and firm messages of support from the councillors for the local area.

“This supports the position that the use of the building furthers the social wellbeing of the local community.”