Police attempt to block new BrewDog bar

Plans by Scottish brewer BrewDog to open a craft beer bar in Liverpool’s city centre have been stalled by police who fear it will add to the likelihood of violent crime.

The brewer launched an “anti-Putin” protest beer called Hello My Name is Vladimir Putin last month

According to a report by the Liverpool Echo, Merseyside Police and Trading Standards Officers are opposing the brewer’s plans to open a bar on Colquitt Street in the town centre.

In recommending its refusal a police spokesman said: “We consider that the nature of the proposed operation will add to the cumulative impact in that area and should be refused.”

Council Trading Standards officials said granting the application would “add to the cumulative impact” in the area and go against the council’s policy introduced in January 2012 which tends toward rejecting applications for bars in the area.

A spokesperson for BrewDog told the newspaper: “This is a totally backward, uninformed and ultimately unintelligible reaction to our proposal. BrewDog bars are havens for exploring and understanding beer, promoting education and enjoyment of beer in its many forms, not excessive consumption.

“It proves that knowledge about how craft beer is intended to be enjoyed clearly isn’t communicated properly in Liverpool where the reaction from authorities is fear and rejection, but should be more about embracing a different approach and instilling a healthier attitude through positive backing of the right businesses and establishments.

“We currently operate 12 bars throughout the UK and have just secured a licence for a new bar in Cardiff, again despite initial police and licensing authority objections that we managed to turn around. We also have the support of local businesses in Liverpool, who would actually acknowledge themselves as competitors but have stated that they would greatly appreciate the positive impact they believe a BrewDog bar would have on the area.

“We are confident that, assuming those in a position to make a decision on our licence application are of sound mind and understand our proposal, we will be successful in our licence application.”

The application will be discussed at a meeting today when police and trading standards chiefs hope to convince the council’s licensing committee to reject the application on the grounds that it goes against its ‘cumulative impact policy’.

The brewery announced plans to open a chain of craft beer shops in the UK and Scotland in January.

Earlier this year the brewer launched an “anti-Putin” protest beer called Hello My Name is Vladimir Putin.