Planned brewery in North Shields granted licence to open a taproom with 60-person capacity

North Tyneside Council’s licensing committee green-lit an application on Monday from Roblos Ltd for a 60-person capacity watering hole and brewery on Northumberland Street.

The former garage is now set to receive a £100,000 makeover, including works to the roof and new brewery equipment.

Several residents made representations to the committee to raise concerns about anti-social behaviour, road safety, and disturbances in the area, claiming that the area already experiences issues from other licensed establishments nearby.

Resident Dan Nef said: “Our street, especially Northumberland Street, there are people parked there and doubled parked, articulated lorries and forklift trucks are loading and unloading. Mix alcohol with people at work? I think that is bad.

“I do not think it is a good idea to introduce people to alcohol into the area at this stage. We have all dealt with people urinating, vomiting, and generally being a nuisance on our street. It is a serious concern.”

In response to fears of rowdiness and anti-social behaviour, Roblos Ltd had previously agreed to several policies to mitigate against possible problems, including ID checks for those under 25, effective CCTV, and staff training.

Richard Arnot, a lawyer acting on behalf of Roblos Ltd, told the committee: “The sort of crowd that comes to a tap house is not a rowdy crowd. It’s not a 10 pints of Carling or John Smith’s crowd, that is not the crowd we get.

“We get people who are prepared to pay a premium because these things are slightly more expensive to produce. It is not the sort of venue where you would ever anticipate having any problems, once in a while there may be issues but we will manage that.”

After deliberation, North Tyneside Council’s licensing committee granted the application allowing for the sale of alcohol between 12pm and 11pm, Sunday to Thursday. In addition, the Low Quay Brewing Co. can sell drinks from noon to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

Outdoor seating will be removed by 9pm and no one under 18 will be allowed to stay past 9pm.