The City of Edinburgh Council has given the green light for plans to deliver a major brewery at Heriot-Watt University’s Research Park
Innis & Gunn will invest £20m in the brewery at Heriot-Watt University’s Research Park.
Spanning a two-hectare site, the new facility will provide increased brewing capacity which will support continued growth both in the UK and internationally.
This will be the first major brewery to be built in Edinburgh for over 150 years.
Beer fans will be able to experience the process first-hand, through guided tours.
The collaboration between Innis & Gunn and Heriot-Watt University ensures that students undertaking at the world-renowned School of Brewing and Distilling spend time on placement in the brewery, engaged in on-the-job learning.
Further collaboration between Innis & Gunn and Heriot-Watt University is envisaged in fields such as low carbon brewing technologies, product and packaging innovation, and new product development.
‘Game-changing brewing and packaging’
Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder of Innis & Gunn, said: “I have wanted to build this brewery in Edinburgh for almost two decades and as the business has grown and gone from strength to strength, the importance has only increased.
“To have planning permission now granted at such an inspiring site is an important step forward.
“Plans for the brewery have taken a natural pause as we all continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic, but we are committed to building the brewery when the time is right.
“Although we cannot give an exact date for breaking ground, the longer timeframe does have some positives including more options in the market for the best low-carbon equipment and technology, which have the potential to change the game in terms of energy usage in brewing and packaging processes.”
