Brewing...or is it now just property
WORKERS, JULY 2006 ISSUE
Young's has announced the closure of the Wandsworth Brewery, London, to take effect next year.The production of its Bitter, Special Ale and other bottled beers is to be transferred to the Charles Wells Brewery in Bedford and a new company, Wells and Young's, is to be created.
Young's has operated from the same site for 175 years, and a brewery has existed there since the 16th century. The brewery, which also incorporates a brewing museum, is to be turned into the usual mix of shops and flats that nearly every former factory in Britain seems to be destined to become – particularly in central London, where property speculation makes land more profitable than production.
Young's made over £900,000 profit last year from the production of beer. It expects to make at least £11 million from the sale of the site and the merger.
One of the catalysts for the sale was the Mayor of London's Area Plan, which designated Wandsworth High Street as an area for residential development. When are we going to see plans that protect industry?