Barking Cat Brewery, located near Poole Quay, applied to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council at the end of last year for partial change of use of its existing brewery to a mixed-use premises.
The proposal included plans for an taproom and an external decking area at the unit, which is situated on the Arthur Bray Yard industrial estate.
However, despite securing a premises licence for the taproom, which allows live and recorded music to be played as well as the sale of alcohol on and off site, the council rejected the plans.
Owner Mark Ambrose, who also runs award-winning pub the Barking Cat Alehouse in Poole, told The Morning Advertiser (The MA) the business had invested £280k in the project so far.
“We were weeks away from opening and then, all of a sudden, got the refusal. That wasn’t expected.
“It’s heart-breaking. We’ve invested so much into this and the taproom is a necessary part of the business to keep us going,” he continued.
Make or break
“We’ve only just started brewing and the idea was to open the taproom at the same time so people could come in and see what’s being [made].
“Most breweries have taprooms and it’s a key part of the business. Without it, it’s make or break.
“We’ve spent a lot of money on this place, and because one or two people in planning have decided they want to object, it could be the detriment of the business. We could go bust.”
Ambrose added the area is up-and-coming but in need of investment from businesses like Barking Cat Brewery, noting the taproom would have brought more tourism and jobs to the town.
The council rejected the planning application in March this year, stating the proposal would lead to “an intensification of pedestrian movements through a site with a number of industrial units”.
BCP Council also raised concerns over the safety of customers visiting the site by foot, given the level of traffic at the industrial estate.
“The proposal did not accord with the development plan and there were no material planning considerations to outweigh these problems,” the decision notice read.
Open discussions
However, Ambrose asserted the company was confident it could safely operate at the venue, which he said has parking for about 10 cars.
“We’ve put some ideas forward - traffic control, barriers, footways, marking out footpaths - and every time we take something to [the council], they say they’ll object to it.
“Back in the ’90s and early 2000s there was a scuba shop on the site with more than 100 customers a day coming through. They had no problems,” he added.
Ambrose said the business planned to continue open discussions with the council in hope of reaching a resolution.
“We have to fight it. It’s our business. If we don’t have the taproom, it makes life extremely difficult for us to survive here,” he told The MA, adding the brewery has received a lot of support locally.
The brewery has also started a campaign on Crowdfunder, which had raised £42,320 at the time of publication.
Ambrose added: “We’ve got a planning consultant hopefully coming to work for us this week. It’s going to cost us a lot of money, which we’re getting quite light on, but hopefully they can get us through it.”
