Greene King unveils plan for new £40m brewery

Greene King was founded in 1799 and has offices in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire

A new £40m brewery could be built to replace a historic town centre facility.

Greene King has announced plans to build a "state-of-the-art " brewery in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, next to its new distribution centre on an industrial estate.

Construction could be finished by 2027, but in the meantime, brewing would continue at its Westgate Brewery site.

The company said the new brewery would significantly improve sustainability and help it become a "modern hospitality business".

The new brewery would be on Suffolk Park in Moreton Hall, the other side of the A14 from the town centre where it was founded in 1799.

Matt Starbuck, managing director for 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.”

'Pillar of British brewing'

The brewer said that at the new site, water usage in the brewing process would be reduced by more than 50% per pint, alongside improvements in energy efficiency.

It aimed to be carbon net zero by 2040 and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.

Nick Mackenzie, chief executive officer at Greene King, said: “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.”

Jo Churchill, MP for Bury St Edmunds, said that modernising the brewery would help support hundreds of jobs and maintained the town’s heritage as a "pillar of British brewing".

Two decades ago Greene King built an access road from Cullum Road across water meadows to the rear of its Westgate Brewery.

It prompted protesters to camp out in trees in 1998 during the planning process.

Got a story? Email [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 0800 169 1830