Want to Live in the Guinness Storehouse? You Soon May Have the Chance
Getty Images
Few beer brands have such a global cadre of diehard fans as Guinness, consistently on the lookout for a perfectly poured pint of stout. It's safe to assume that at least some of these people would love to live on the ground of the brand's famous St. James's Gate brewery in Dublin… and soon, they may have the chance.
The real estate developer Ballymore announced last week that – working "in close collaboration" with Guinness's parent company, Diageo – they had applied for planning permission to "open the gates of the historic St. James's Gate site" and create a proposed "Guinness Quarter" – billed as "a world class, modern, and dynamic urban neighborhood."
The massive revitalization plan for the area – which is about a 20-minute walk from Dublin's touristy Temple Bar neighborhood – calls for 336 apartments, commercial workspaces, a hotel, a food hall (of course), a marketplace, cultural and community spaces including a 300-seat performance venue, two acres of public parks, and parking for 2,000 bicycles. The proposal also promises that existing heritage structures will either be refurbished or repurposed and the end result will hopefully be "Dublin's first operational zero-carbon district."
"The history and heritage of Guinness and St. James's Gate for Dublin and the local community is hugely important. It is a unique and special place. The plan that has been created respects this historic community while also transforming it into one of the most dynamic neighborhoods in Europe," Barry O'Sullivan, managing director for Diageo Ireland, stated in the announcement. "This allows us to continue our centuries old brewing operations in Dublin 8 while also developing the area into a truly modern place to live, work and play. We have engaged extensively with the local community to develop this plan and look forward to further conversation as we take the next step on the journey towards creating the Guinness Quarter."
Meanwhile, Sean Mulryan, Ballymore's group chairman and chief executive, called the plan "modern, sensitive and highly sustainable urban design at its best." He continued, "By balancing new and carefully considered interventions with heritage buildings, which are being repurposed and given a new lease of life, our vision is that St. James's Gate will be among the finest examples of sustainable urban development, protecting the cultural, community, social, and industrial legacy of this part of Dublin 8 and the Liberties. It will be a development that everyone in Dublin will be proud of and enjoy."
