Formal complaint could be made about proposed new BrewDog bar

A councillor has claimed that potential “irregularities” with a planning application could lead to a small former cafe being turned into part of the site of a giant new BrewDog bar.

Costa on Millennium Promenade recently closed unexpectedly after having been one of the longest surviving businesses in the Harbourside.

But unbeknown to many local residents, a planning application to combine the unit formerly occupied by Costa and the currently empty shop units next door into a potential new drinking establishment had already been granted in August.

BrewDog are now currently applying for a license application in a building owned by Canada Life Investments, wanting to open a craft beer bar that could remain open until as late as 1.30am on Friday and Saturday nights, with outdoor drinking until 11.30pm seven days a week.

Documents relating to a previous application by Canada Life ahead of the opening of Lane 7 in the same building promised “a more family-orientated product”, despite children not being allowed in the venue after 7pm.

City council officers were also told in the application to merge the two buildings due to become BrewDog that “the overall amount of ‘pub or drinking establishment’ floorspace will significantly decrease” in the local area.

Bristol24/7 understands that this calculation is correct if Lane 7 is viewed as a leisure venue rather than a bar and also by counting the former Cuban as a restaurant rather than a bar, despite its repeated breaches of licensing conditions when it was open.

BrewDog now also have a bar in Bath – photo: BrewDog

One resident of Anchor Point on Cathedral Walk said that if BrewDog were to be granted a premises license, it would cause “even more distress at night”.

Kate Evans said: “To have to sleep every night with ear plugs, windows closed, no fresh air, is already the limit.”

Another resident whose flat overlooks Millennium Promenade said: “The facts suggest that Canada Life Investments initially deceived the council and the public by saying they were driven to set up a nice mix of family-orientated venues.

“It would appear they did so to be able to set up an enormous pub that would not ‘count’ as a pub from a planning perspective.

“After achieving this, they are now trying to set up another huge pub with the pretext that there are not enough ‘proper’ pubs in the area.

“They managed to sneak in the changes to planning conditions with no scrutiny whatsoever.”

He added that BrewDog opening a new bar with opening hours into the early hours of the morning would “severely impact hundreds of people’s lives”.

The proposed new BrewDog would be next to Lane 7 – photo: Martin Booth

In a letter to local residents about the merger of the units and proposed new bar, Hotwells & Harbourside councillor Alex Hartley said that he will be asking Bristol City Council’s licensing committee to turn down the application.

He said: “There seems to have been some irregularities with this planning application in how it was advertised to local residents that I am investigating.

“It may be the case that I will launch a formal complaint, as there does not seem to have been sufficient consultation of local residents i.e. no letters or public notices.”

Hartley added that “no matter how hard staff try, minimising late night noise in a busy drinking establishment is nigh-on impossible. I feel an unacceptable amount of noise would be generated severely affecting local residents.”

BrewDog want to open a bar within the former Triathlon Shop, which closed in 2018 – photo: Oracle Design

In a letter sent to the chief planning officer at Bristol City Council in May regarding the merger of the Costa and former Triathlon Shop premises, the director of NTR Planning in Henleaze claimed that “the overall amount of ‘pub or drinking establishment’ floorspace will significantly decrease”.

Mark Tombs wrote that the merger of the units “are minor in nature” with the character of the area “enhanced” in the proposals that were subsequently granted by the council.

Tombs said: “The development will both help to futureproof this part of the Leisure Uses Frontage of the Harbourside and help the applicant attract a range of potential end occupiers with different requirements and without significant harm to local character.”

Canada Life and BrewDog have both been contacted for comment.

Main photo: BrewDog

Read more: BrewDog want to open new Bristol bar

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