Council approves Ramsbottom home brewery

9:22am Saturday 26th January 2013 in News

A HOME brewery has finally been given permission by council bosses after a planning hiccup threatened to shut it down.

Real ale fan Matt Holmes has been perfecting his beers in his converted double garage in Heapworth Avenue in Ramsbottom for more than 12 months.

But he received a surprise letter recently from planning officials telling him that his Ramsbottom Craft Brewery business was illegal without their approval.

The issue has now been resolved after members of the planning control committee at Bury Council retrospectively approved the plans.

Mr Holmes has travelled to several real ale festivals across the country in the past year promoting the fruits of his labour and admitted he panicked when the council got involved.

He said: “It came as a big surprise, I thought I had obtained all the necessary permits and licences.

“It was a concern that the council might tell me to stop brewing, even though I was doing no harm to anyone “The brewery has always been invisible to everyone on my street.”

Mr Holmes, who works full-time at an estate agency in Ashton-under-Lyne, produces one brewer’s barrel per week - some 288 pints - in his spare time.

He had already obtained a licence to brew from HM Revenue and Customs, relevant insurance and food safety certificates and a personal alcohol licence before being informed of the planning problem.

He said: “In the beginning, I never envisaged I would brew commercially. It really happened by accident - people just want to drink my beer.

“Given this was a unique application for the team at Bury Council that has never before been requested, I would like to applaud the planners for the understanding way in which the application was assesses.”

Conditions do however prevent customers from visiting the brewery, therefore all sales are done online or via telephone, and neighbours must not be inconvenienced.

Comments (7)

10:44am Sat 26 Jan 13

burnleyglentoran says...

A guy does no harm to anyone. He may have a fledgling business on his hands. A real business with the potential for real wealth creation.

What do the nosey parker, funded by the local tax payers, jobs for life and not living in the real world, cushy numbered pen-pushing local Stalins do!?

Do their best to shut it down!

Hopefully the little brewery will go from strength to strength and maybe one day will be brewing in fine copper vessels.

Till then they should keep their noses out and stop trying to justify their copper bottomed final salary pensions.
A guy does no harm to anyone. He may have a fledgling business on his hands. A real business with the potential for real wealth creation. What do the nosey parker, funded by the local tax payers, jobs for life and not living in the real world, cushy numbered pen-pushing local Stalins do!? Do their best to shut it down! Hopefully the little brewery will go from strength to strength and maybe one day will be brewing in fine copper vessels. Till then they should keep their noses out and stop trying to justify their copper bottomed final salary pensions. burnleyglentoran

11:21am Sat 26 Jan 13

Jerzei Balowski says...

burnleyglentoran wrote:
A guy does no harm to anyone. He may have a fledgling business on his hands. A real business with the potential for real wealth creation.

What do the nosey parker, funded by the local tax payers, jobs for life and not living in the real world, cushy numbered pen-pushing local Stalins do!?

Do their best to shut it down!

Hopefully the little brewery will go from strength to strength and maybe one day will be brewing in fine copper vessels.

Till then they should keep their noses out and stop trying to justify their copper bottomed final salary pensions.
Couldn't agree more.
[quote][p][bold]burnleyglentoran[/bold] wrote: A guy does no harm to anyone. He may have a fledgling business on his hands. A real business with the potential for real wealth creation. What do the nosey parker, funded by the local tax payers, jobs for life and not living in the real world, cushy numbered pen-pushing local Stalins do!? Do their best to shut it down! Hopefully the little brewery will go from strength to strength and maybe one day will be brewing in fine copper vessels. Till then they should keep their noses out and stop trying to justify their copper bottomed final salary pensions.[/p][/quote]Couldn't agree more. Jerzei Balowski

12:20pm Sat 26 Jan 13

useyourhead says...

Jerzei Balowski wrote:
burnleyglentoran wrote:
A guy does no harm to anyone. He may have a fledgling business on his hands. A real business with the potential for real wealth creation.

What do the nosey parker, funded by the local tax payers, jobs for life and not living in the real world, cushy numbered pen-pushing local Stalins do!?

Do their best to shut it down!

Hopefully the little brewery will go from strength to strength and maybe one day will be brewing in fine copper vessels.

Till then they should keep their noses out and stop trying to justify their copper bottomed final salary pensions.
Couldn't agree more.
Agreed, not saying all the rules aren't their for a reason but we are now in times where 'officials' are getting pedantic to the point of harming rather than helping.
-
Although I understood it that they had simply pointed out his omission and approved it without objecting. more a case of dotting the i's than gouging them out I would say.
[quote][p][bold]Jerzei Balowski[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]burnleyglentoran[/bold] wrote: A guy does no harm to anyone. He may have a fledgling business on his hands. A real business with the potential for real wealth creation. What do the nosey parker, funded by the local tax payers, jobs for life and not living in the real world, cushy numbered pen-pushing local Stalins do!? Do their best to shut it down! Hopefully the little brewery will go from strength to strength and maybe one day will be brewing in fine copper vessels. Till then they should keep their noses out and stop trying to justify their copper bottomed final salary pensions.[/p][/quote]Couldn't agree more.[/p][/quote]Agreed, not saying all the rules aren't their for a reason but we are now in times where 'officials' are getting pedantic to the point of harming rather than helping. - Although I understood it that they had simply pointed out his omission and approved it without objecting. more a case of dotting the i's than gouging them out I would say. useyourhead

1:27pm Sat 26 Jan 13

peregrine.soars says...

Jobs worths. If councils are short of cash then what are they doing harassing this enterprising chap. If the cost of the red tape process was looked at then it would show a considerable sum to the council tax payers.
Good for him and all the small brewers to take on the the dominant foreign Heinbev, Innbrew and Coorbrau beverage chemical plants.
Jobs worths. If councils are short of cash then what are they doing harassing this enterprising chap. If the cost of the red tape process was looked at then it would show a considerable sum to the council tax payers. Good for him and all the small brewers to take on the the dominant foreign Heinbev, Innbrew and Coorbrau beverage chemical plants. peregrine.soars

2:09pm Sat 26 Jan 13

POW WOW says...

The very same council bigwigs that endorsed David Chaynor !!!!!!
The very same council bigwigs that endorsed David Chaynor !!!!!! POW WOW

4:39pm Sat 26 Jan 13

sen c ble says...

The last paragraph does explain why an application granted by the council is necessary and should be approved. No home business can just begin to operate without prior consultation and complies with relevant rules and laws, as in this case food laws, to be regarded as a safe and acceptable place of establishment.
I would have thought Matt Holmes would have realised the requirements prior to setting up a 'home' business' and would have taken all steps to avoid such hiccups and now he's been shown the green light, may it prosper.
The last paragraph does explain why an application granted by the council is necessary and should be approved. No home business can just begin to operate without prior consultation and complies with relevant rules and laws, as in this case food laws, to be regarded as a safe and acceptable place of establishment. I would have thought Matt Holmes would have realised the requirements prior to setting up a 'home' business' and would have taken all steps to avoid such hiccups and now he's been shown the green light, may it prosper. sen c ble

10:46pm Sat 26 Jan 13

jack daniels says...

sen c ble wrote:
The last paragraph does explain why an application granted by the council is necessary and should be approved. No home business can just begin to operate without prior consultation and complies with relevant rules and laws, as in this case food laws, to be regarded as a safe and acceptable place of establishment.
I would have thought Matt Holmes would have realised the requirements prior to setting up a 'home' business' and would have taken all steps to avoid such hiccups and now he's been shown the green light, may it prosper.
Sen makes a good point.

If people ended up sick because of poor hygiene procedures, there would complaints about the council not doing their job.

Hopefully the neighbours will not be inconvenienced either

Win win all round!
[quote][p][bold]sen c ble[/bold] wrote: The last paragraph does explain why an application granted by the council is necessary and should be approved. No home business can just begin to operate without prior consultation and complies with relevant rules and laws, as in this case food laws, to be regarded as a safe and acceptable place of establishment. I would have thought Matt Holmes would have realised the requirements prior to setting up a 'home' business' and would have taken all steps to avoid such hiccups and now he's been shown the green light, may it prosper.[/p][/quote]Sen makes a good point. If people ended up sick because of poor hygiene procedures, there would complaints about the council not doing their job. Hopefully the neighbours will not be inconvenienced either Win win all round! jack daniels

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