Welcome to our consultation website

Summary of engagement on initial ideas and concepts for the Westgate Brewery Site

We are pleased to share an update on the latest round of engagement relating to the future of the Westgate Brewery masterplan.

In November 2025, we undertook a second round on engagement with local community groups, neighbouring residents, team members and the wider community. This phase focused on sharing early concepts and initial ideas for the emerging masterplan and included a series of public events and workshops to gather feedback.

We were delighted with the level of interest and participation. More than 314 people attended the events, and 249 feedback forms were submitted. We would like to thank everyone who took the time to attend, share their views and contribute their ideas.

An engagement report summarising all engagement activities and analysing the feedback received is available to download below. The insights gathered will be fed back to the design team as they continue to develop the Westgate masterplan.

We plan to hold the next round of consultation in 2026 and will continue to share updates on future engagement activities here on the project website.

Download Engagement Report

Greene King Breaks Ground on New Suffolk Brewery

We are delighted to announce that construction on our new brewery at Suffolk Business Park will begin soon.

To mark this exciting milestone, we were joined by local political and completed in 2027 and will play a key role in securing Greene King’s brewing future here in Suffolk.

In the meantime, brewing will proudly continue at our historic Westgate Brewery in Bury St Edmunds until the new site is fully operational.

What We Heard: Early Feedback on the Future of the Westgate Brewery Site

In Spring 2025, we invited members of the community to share their experiences of the Westgate Brewery site and their aspirations for its future. Over 500 people participated in the first stage - including neighbours, community groups and Greene King team members – helping us identify a range of key themes and priorities.

What We Heard

• Arts, culture and heritage
  Community members identified an interest in Greene King maintaining their presence in the town, and preserving the brewery’s history and character.

• Community and social uses
  The community identified community space as a priority for the town centre to serve various groups across a variety of ages.

• Employment and skills
  A need for additional workspace in Bury St Edmunds was highlighted, including shared workspaces for SMEs, alongside interest in apprenticeships and skills training provision.

• Green space and environment
  The water meadows area was identified as an area that could be protected and enhanced according to members of the community. It was felt that future development should prioritise sustainability.

• Engagement
  Ongoing community engagement and involvement throughout the masterplanning process and beyond was raised as a priority by members of the community.

• Health and education
  Concerns were expressed regarding existing pressures on health service, and the need to consider local educational needs was raised.

• Housing
  It was felt that a diverse range of housing needs should be considered to meet varying requirements.

• Tourism & visitor provision
  Potential opportunities to connect with the wider Bury St Edmunds tourism trail, including the cathedral, were identified, along with possibilities for brewery-themed tourism integration.

• Transport parking and access
  Existing parking pressures and traffic behaviour issues were raised, and that any future development should seek to consider and respond to these issues.

A copy of the early engagement report can be downloaded here.

Thank you to everyone who took part in our initial workshops and completed the Westgate brewery site survey in April 2025.  We appreciate your input and engagement.

A summary report outlining our initial findings will be published on this website in due course.

Help shape the future of the Westgate Brewery site

Greene King is seeking feedback from local residents to help shape the future of the Westgate Brewery site.

This process will involve the creation of a long-term development strategy for the site. Whilst no plans for the site have been agreed at this early stage, Greene King is committed to maintaining a presence in the town centre and creating a vision that benefits the local community and enhances this area of the town.

Key to the creation of this vision will be input from the local community and there will be a number of opportunities for community input and consultation throughout 2025.

During this first stage of the process, local people are encouraged to share their experiences of how they currently interact with the site and outline their aspirations to help inform initial ideas and create a collective vision that reflects the diverse needs and values of the community.

Further engagement opportunities will be publicised on the project website throughout each stage of the masterplanning process. 

Greene King and West Suffolk Council Join Forces to Explore Future Use of the Westgate Site

Greene King has partnered with West Suffolk Council to explore potential uses for the Westgate brewery site in Bury St Edmunds town centre.

Greene King and West Suffolk Council have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, an agreement, which sets out their commitment to work closely with key stakeholders and members of the local community to develop a masterplan for the Westgate site. This inclusive approach will ensure that a wide range of ideas are considered from the very beginning, helping to shape the future of the site.

Whilst there are no definitive plans for the site at this early stage, Greene King intends to take a heritage-led approach and maintain our company’s presence in the town centre. The focus will be on thoughtful, long-term planning that aims to create benefits for the local community and enhances the overall character and vibrancy of the area.

The collaboration will involve engaging with the local community and key stakeholders to develop a masterplan, with iterative stages of engagement through the masterplan design process.

Opportunities for involvement will be published on this website in Spring 2025, providing further details on how members of the community can help shape the vision for the future of the site.

Planning permission granted for Greene King’s new state-of-the-art brewery in Bury St Edmunds

On 8 January 2025, West Suffolk Council granted planning permission to enable the delivery of Greene King’s new brewery at Suffolk Business Park.

Bury St Edmunds has been the proud home of Greene King for over 200 years, and this decision ensures the company will continue to play a key role in the town, preserving its rich brewing heritage for generations to come.

As we prepare to move into the construction phase, we remain committed to keeping residents and stakeholders informed through regular updates until the brewery’s anticipated completion in 2027.

In addition, we’ll now be focusing on creating a collective vision for the future of the Westgate site alongside our near neighbours, the wider community, community groups and West Suffolk Council. Opportunities for getting involved will be announced in the coming weeks, and updates will be published on this website in due course.

Amendments submitted to West Suffolk Council

Since the submission of the application, Greene King has been in ongoing discussions with council officers and relevant stakeholders regarding the site and has been continuing to carefully consider all feedback received during the consultation period.

As a result of these discussions, we have submitted amendments to our planning application that facilitate the following positive changes to the scheme:

• Updated drainage and landscape design proposals that improve biodiversity net gain.

• Changes to the building design to improve functionality and reduce quantities of materials used in construction.

• Provision of a detailed parking note that outlines how Greene King will be accommodating all parking associated with the new brewery. This note details how:

• • The proposed car parking provision aligns with Suffolk County Council’s parking standards.

  • The site layout has been designed to provide flexibility between the proposed brewery and the new distribution centre.

  • Parking restrictions within the immediate vicinity of the site will prevent off-site parking.

  • On-site facilities will support cyclists and pedestrians, offering cycle parking and changing facilities to encourage active travel and reduce car reliance.

  • Greene King will ensure that proposed parking provision meets peak demand, such as during shift changeovers. 

Further information about the proposed amendments can be found by visiting West Suffolk’s Planning Public Access System and searching for application reference number DC/24/0934/FUL.

We have now submitted a planning application to West Suffolk Council who will undertake their own consultation on the proposals before determining the application.

We will publish more details about the proposals on this website in due course.