A tiny brewery thought to be BrewDog's is on ice amid concerns over 'emissions and odours'
City officials raised the concerns in a planning directive.
PLANS FOR A microbrewery in Dublin’s docklands have been put on hold after city planners raised concerns over the potential impact of odours from the facility.
An application for an “in-house micro-brewing facility”, ancillary to a pub at Capital Dock, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay, was submitted by US real estate group Kennedy Wilson in March. The project is thought to be part of Scottish beer maker BrewDog’s Irish expansion plans.
The craft beer maker last year announced plans to open its first pub in Dublin by June 2019 and has registered a local company.
BrewDog did not respond to Fora‘s request for comment at the time of publication.
Dublin City Council was due to make a decision on the microbrewery application on 2 May. It has instead paused the project by asking for an environmental consultant’s report after expressing concerns over the impact “odours and emissions” from the brewery may have on the surrounding area.
“The Planning Authority has concerns in relation to certain elements of the proposal, in particular the impact on the amenity of residents, with regards to emissions and odours from the proposed brewing equipment,” it said in a directive.
Planners requested that Kennedy Wilson produce an environmental report written by a “competent person which must demonstrate that odours and emissions from activities associated with the use will not result in interference with amenities or the environment beyond the site boundary”.
Kennedy Wilson declined to comment.
According to a Sunday Times report, BrewDog applied for a bar and restaurant licence at Capital Dock earlier this year.
In December 2018, Kennedy Wilson sought retention permission to change the use of the building from a cafe or restaurant to a public house with “ancillary restaurant use” and a craft beer offering.
The March application sought further permission for an on-site 50 sq m microbrewery.
The submission did not disclose the name of the brewery and pub operator, but said the tenant “is an operation that has been successfully established in other cities across the UK and Europe”.
BrewDog – best known for ciders, spirits and beers like Punk IPA and Dead Pony Club – was set up in 2007. It employs about 1,000 people and runs about 70 pubs globally. It has exported to Ireland for several years, but doesn’t yet have a physical presence here.
It currently operates four breweries in Scotland, Australia and the US.
The company recorded sales of more than £111 million in 2017 and an operating profit of £2.7 million.
