B&B Distillery Refused, But Hopes Applicant May Try Again

A resubmitted scheme for a gin distillery as part of a B&B in the centre of Britain’s smallest city has been turned down by Pembrokeshire national park planners, with hopes the applicant may try a third time as a distillery only.

Last October, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park planners refused an application by Neil Walsh for a change of use of the existing guest house at St Davids Distillery, Restaurant & Rooms, 11-13 Nun Street, St Davids to include the bar/restaurant and distillery.

The plans for the Grade II-listed property had drawn 23 responses of concern, including intensification of use from the bar, impacts on local amenity, and Health and Safety concerns about the installation of a still and the use of ethanol, with fears of a fire and explosion risk.

The scheme – supported by St David’s City Council – was partly retrospective as the gin still had been installed, but was not currently in use, in the distillery sited below existing bedrooms at the guesthouse.

The latest application, a mixed use of 11-13 Nun Street as a bed and breakfast and housing part of the gin distillery plant, was again recommended for refusal. At the October 16 meeting of the park’s development management committee.

It was proposed that the ethanol and botanicals would be stored off-site and brought onto the premises only when distilling is taking place; 30 days a year, with no guests on site.

There were 15 letters of objection to the scheme, raising concerns including it “could result in death, injuries and large-scale damage to property”.

An officer report said mitigation measures suggested in order to minimise the risk associated with ethanol for gin production “would not, in the opinion of the authority, be reasonable, practical or enforceable”.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr Walsh said the scheme would help safeguard 11 jobs by diversifying the existing business, with hopes of creating further jobs in the future.

Mr Walsh, who owns a nearby restaurant, had said tourism had declined as there had been “confidence back for the UK market to travel abroad,” and gin production would help market St Davids as a global brand.

Addressing safety concerns, he said the still, sited retrospectively in order to comply with distillery licensing, had been installed by a “world-class master distiller,” who had previously installed a still some two-and-a-half times larger on a P&O ferry.

He told members the ‘spirit tourism’ business was worth hundreds of millions of pounds in the UK, with Welsh Government funding for a Penderyn distillery visitor centre, adding: “if this was dangerous and irregular why have government given money?”

A sticking point for members was the sharing of the distillery with the B&B, pondering whether Mr Walsh – who was broadly positive – could resubmit an application for a distillery only, after hearing that could not be suggested as an amendment to the existing scheme.

Moving the application be refused, Cllr Di Clements said: “It’s a real shame because it’s such a good idea, nobody is against what Mr Walsh wants to do; it’s the combination which is the issue, I hope Mr Walsh can come back with another application if this fails.”

Dr Rosetta Plummer, who seconded refusal, praised the applicant’s “passion and clarity,” adding: “Unfortunately, we are bound to make a judgement on what is before us today.”

The scheme was refused by 12 votes to two.