Company hopes to set up brewery and tap room in Burgess Hill: application sparks concern about parking

BNG Hub Limited has applied through its agent D&M Planning Ltd to change the use of Unit 5 at 55 Victoria Road from general industrial use (Class B2) to mixed use. This would consist of a brewery (Class B2), a taproom (sui generis) and an ancillary shop.

The proposal’s planning policy, design and access statement said the site was previously occupied by Fortes Bakery.

The statement said: “The business is being set up as a collaboration between an established local brewery, Bestens Brewery, alongside a new brewery, North Garden Brewery. The idea is to move the production of both breweries from their current site to the new location and provide a taproom for on license sales and shop for off license sales as well as merchandise etc.”

It added: “The taproom would help to provide a community asset by catering for modern demands. This is against the backdrop of declining traditional public houses. Unlike a traditional public house, the taproom would cater towards 25-55-year-old beer drinkers and be specifically associated with the two breweries. There is a growing group of people who are passionate about high quality, small batch produce leading to a disenfranchisement from the traditional pub.”

People can view the application at pa.midsussex.gov.uk/online-applications using the reference DM/23/2240

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The statement said the venture would provide employment for about ten people. It said the taproom would not prepare food on site but would aim to partner with local food trucks to sell their goods on the forecourt.

The application has received a number of objections from residents who are concerned about parking, noise and increased traffic.

One said: “No room to park, people will then park in surrounding streets, already parking on pavements nearby.”

Another said: “I can foresee potential parking problems that will arise due to the tap room’s patrons, such as limited parking space for residents, blocked driveways and roads.”

However, Suite M at KBF House voiced support for the application. They said: “I have seen first-hand elsewhere the positive impact that craft breweries have on an area.”

They said: “Local residents and workers will come to the tap room to spend money that is otherwise going to venues in other towns and communities. As a social hub where people can socialise and discover the flavours of small batch craft beer the tap room will also develop the sense of local community. This area is very much in need of such a hub, especially after the pandemic.”

The planning policy, design and access statement said the application’s noise statement indicates ‘there would not likely be any adverse impacts from the proposed development’. It said traffic to the brewery would be limited to staff members and deliveries and ‘would not be at a level unreasonably expected in an industrial location’.

It said more traffic would be generated by visiting customers but said the ‘highly accessible location’ is ‘a short walk’ from the station. It said: “There is also a mixture of restricted and unrestricted parking in the surrounding road network to the extent that there would not likely be any adverse impacts by reason of any generated traffic.”