£73m Guinness brewery in Covent Garden given green light

By Jacob Phillips, Local Democracy Reporter

Guinness has been given the green light for its £73m Covent Garden brewery, despite complaints that it will fill the streets with vomiting drunks.

Guinness owner Diageo has been given a later alcohol licence by Westminster City council to let people stay and drink in the 150-person courtyard of the Old Brewer’s Yard until 10.30pm – or 11pm at the weekend.

The council previously gave Guinness licences to set up a brewery, a three-storey restaurant and a shop.

An old nightclub, with space for 350 people, beneath Old Brewer’s Yard, is also set to become an event space run by Guinness, but the drinks giant said it would be mainly for corporate events to help pay the bills.

But Covent Garden residents are scared the streets could be full of drunken “louts being sick” and fear that there will be as much noise as a nightclub.

In total, 500 drinkers could be leaving the site at once if an event is on at the underground venue.

Covent Garden resident Bianca Benesconi told Westminster City council’s licensing meeting: “During Saturday night or when there is a football match there are a lot of drunk people, glass shattering, fights and people throwing up next to the front entrance of my building or at the back of my building, as well as urinating and consuming illegal substances.

“I have had very bad experiences of people getting out of pubs or bars and being heavily drunk and having to ask them to leave.

“I have had very violent discussions and fights with these people who often make racist, homophobic and xenophobic remarks against me.”

Another Covent Garden resident said: “People leaving premises late at night in large quantities, on to small, cobbled streets, after drinking, will urinate – they already do up against my entrance every day and night, unbothered by being seen.

“They will argue, shout, break bottles, scream. The later hours will mean longer drinking, more drunk people and the inevitable consequences.”

But Guinness project manager Tom Johnson said the space will not be for stag and hen dos.

He told Westminster’s licensing committee: “I feel so strongly that this is a good thing to do and a benefit to the area.

“I can see why people think of a sport bar or stag dos but if you look at any other of our global destinations that isn’t what they do.

“That is not what they are designed for. Any hint of that and they will be asked to leave.”

Pictured top: What the new Guinness hub will look like (Picture: Diageo)