Go-ahead for gaol distillery

A £15m plan to transform Belfast’s historic Crumlin Road Gaol into a whiskey distillery has been given the green light by Belfast City Council, announced the Belfast Distillery Company.

BCC’s Planning Committee signed off on the application, which will also see part of the old prison’s vacant ‘A’ wing turned into a tourist centre.

First proposed by lottery winner Peter Lavery more than a decade ago through his Belfast Distillery Company, the project was later taken over by a group of US investors, who are now the directors of the firm. It was originally granted planning approval by BCC back in April 2013, although work on the site later stopped in July 2015.

Belfast Distillery Company’s recent application was submitted following meetings with planning officials in 2019.