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Blue Monkey Brewery to resubmit tap room expansion plan after council rejection

By Lauren Monaghan, Junior Local Democracy Reporter

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A brewery is re-submitting plans for an expansion including a tap room after the original proposals were denied planning permission.

Blue Monkey Brewery first applied to Broxtowe Borough Council in April 2025 to expand its site at Giltbrook Industrial Park in Pentrich Road, near Eastwood.

The brewery is known for beer including pale ales, stouts, dark ruby ales and black IPAs.

It was founded in 2008, and started brewing at a 10-barrel plant in Ilkeston before moving to Giltbrook in 2010.

The owners had applied to double the site’s size by expanding it into the next door unit, which was previously occupied by Music Gear Direct.

This would have allowed for an extension of the brewing and storage area on the ground floor, with a part of it becoming a ‘tap room’ and shop – but plans were rejected by the council on May 27.

The brewery’s Commercial Director now says the company is resubmitting plans and appealing the rejection.

The authority’s reasoning for rejection was concern for the “vitality and viability” of nearby town centres, according to its refusal document.

In government and council policy, if a proposed development is thought to be more suitable within a town centre, but is located outside a town, this can mean councils reject plans to protect local areas.

Ian Wesley, Commercial Director at Blue Monkey Brewing, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “In our minds we’re in an ideal position, every brewery is going for tap rooms – that is the way we’re going to survive.”

He said the company will “fight to the bitter end” in getting future permission or an accepted appeal and said plans will be resubmitted on Monday or Tuesday next week.

The formal appeal of the rejection will also be submitted next week.

Mr Wesley said: “Why we have had it turned down on such a mediocre little thing, if you send us into the middle of Eastwood, where there is already multiple microbars, someone is going to go foul with us coming in new.

“We’re bringing people out of Nottingham to our brewery – I haven’t gone for a late licence on the brewery so that people can go on into Eastwood afterwards.

“I think we’d add to the vitality to the area rather than taking away.”

He added that the company is “ready to roll” with its expansion – as interior works are done – but is patient to wait for permission to be given.

Mr Wesley also said he hopes the new submission will go to the planning committee, rather than being deemed by a single officer.

The existing brewery is currently open from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday and between 10am and 4pm on Saturdays. The shop is open from Monday to Saturday during the same hours.