Guinness brewery given green light for Covent Garden

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

Guinness has been given permission to build a £73 million microbrewery in Covent Garden despite worries revellers will be able to see into residents’ homes.

Plans for a six-floor microbrewery, complete with a 200-people capacity yard were criticised by nearby residents for the amount of noise and disruption it will cause.

Guinness hopes the venue at Old Brewers’ Yard will include a two-storey roof terrace, a top-floor restaurant and a Guinness merchandise store. The drinks company also wants to convert a bin store into a bar area.

But despite 32 objections from residents and the borough of Camden, the drinks giant was given permission to build the brewery, as long as it met certain conditions.

In a three-hour meeting on August 9, Westminster City council decided to approve the plans as long as Guinness reduces the amount of space in its new courtyard and closes its drinks terrace after 9.30pm.

The new site will cover locations linking Mercer Walk, Langley Street, Neal Street and Shelton Street, complete with a covered courtyard.

Residents are worried about the amount of noise the new venue could create in the middle of a residential area and believe the roof terrace in Shelton Street could even overlook their homes.

Nearby Camden council has also hit back at Guinness. Among nine objections the borough is concerned about noise caused by drinkers and during construction.

Westminster City council’s planning committee called for the drinks giant to go away and update its plans after the debate.

Councillor Robert Rigby, one of three councillors to approve the plans, said: “I feel like the opportunities are too great to miss. We are talking about Covent Garden. This option will bring a lot of people to the area.”

But Cllr Paul Fisher, who opposed the application, said: “There is a benefit to redeveloping an 18th Century brewery. I am positive about the idea of contributing jobs.”

He added: “The capacity is too high, the intense concentration in the conservation area is too large. The proposed drinks-led development has a huge impact on what is primarily a residential area.”

Despite the approval, Guinness will have to go in front of Westminster City council’s planning committee again to see if it will approve the plans.

The space was previously backed by Prime Ministerial candidate Rishi Sunak, who hopes the brewery will help bring tourists back to the centre of London following months of lockdowns.

Pictured top: A computer-generated image of the new Guinness brewery in Covent Garden (Picture: Diageo)