Greene King gets green light for £40m brewery

Pub group and brewer Greene King has received approval for its planned new £40m brewery in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.

West Suffolk Council’s development control committee gave the green light to the company’s proposal during a meeting yesterday (8 January).

Greene King first proposed custom-built facility in April last year, located next to its new distribution centre and continuing the firm’s 200-year history of brewing in Bury St Edmunds since its founding in 1799.

The new brewery will be designed to significantly improve the sustainability of the company’s brewing operations. Per pint, water usage in the brewing process should be reduced by more than 50%, alongside improvements in energy efficiency. It is intended to drive Greene King’s progression towards its science-based environmental targets, which includes the company’s aim to be carbon net zero by 2040, as well as reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

Greene King’s brewing operation will continue in its current form at its Westgate Brewery throughout the construction of the new site, which is currently slated for completion in 2027.

West Suffolk Council wrote in its approval documents: “The retention of the Greene King Brewery in the town will safeguard jobs, many of which are highly skilled and well paid. The development would also ensure that the brewery’s association with the town of Bury St Edmunds will continue which brings benefits to the town and boosts tourism.”

When the new brewery plan was revealed last year, Nick Mackenzie, chief executive officer at Greene King, said: “Brewing in Bury St Edmunds is a core part of Greene King’s DNA. This investment represents a further and significant ongoing commitment to our brewing operations in a town which has such a rich and storied connection with our business and with brewing. As we seek to make our operations more sustainable, our new brewery will future proof our ability to brew our much-loved brands, as we create a thriving modern hospitality business.”

At that time, Matt Starbuck, managing director of brewing and brands at Greene King, said: “We have been brewing in Bury St Edmunds for over 200 years. We are passionate about our craft and the development of this state-of-the-art facility will allow us to maintain brewing at the core of our business going forwards. We are excited by the opportunity that this affords and the chance to invest in innovation and the development of our world-class beer portfolio.”

Following the planning approval, Starbuck told the BBC: “We are excited to get started on building our new state of the art site – which we believe will bring benefits to the local community, economy and our customers – and we will continue to work with local stakeholders throughout the process.”

Over the last few years, Greene King has invested in a new multi-million-pound distribution centre, adjacent to the new brewery’s site in Bury St Edmunds, as well as over £9 million in its historic Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar.

The pub company and brewer employs, directly and indirectly, including through its pubs and restaurants, in the region of 40,000 people across the country. In 2023 it posted a revenue of £2.38b with an adjusted operating profit of £186.1m. Greene King also took on 944 new apprentices across its business that year.

It recently invested in two new kitchens to train over 60 prison leavers per year into employment, following its a commitment to hire 400 prison leavers by the end of 2025 through its Releasing Potential programme.

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