GUINNESS BREWERY REDEVELOPED

THE owner of Guinness is planning to redevelop part of the historic St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin into homes, offices and shops.

Diageo, whose brands also include Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, said it no longer needed all 50 acres to make Guinness thanks to modern technology.

The FTSE 100 firm is looking for a partner to turn 12.6 acres into a development called the St James’s Gate Quarter potentially including 500 homes, 63,000 square metres of office space, 22,000 square metres of hotel and leisure and 5,000 square metres of shops.

Guinness has been brewed at St James’s Gate since 1759.

Colin O’Brien, of Diageo, said: ‘This site has always been a hub of industrial activity. We have a unique opportunity to open up the gates, creating a quarter that will form part of the fabric of the city for generations to come.’

1.2bn pints of Guinness, Harp, Smithwicks and Hop House 13 are brewed there every year By 1886 it was the largest brewery in the world St James’s Gate Brewery in Dublin was opened by Arthur Guinness in 1759 The brewery uses more than 130,000 tonnes of barley each year 500 new homes look set to be built as part of the site is redeveloped Around 900,000 pints are exported every year to 130 countries