Developer reveals timeline for Wadworth Brewery regeneration
The first homes are expected to be ready for summer 2027
The developer behind the regeneration of the historic Wadworth Brewery site in Devizes has outlined its timetable of work.
Demolition and decontamination at Brewery Wharf will commence at the beginning of August and last for three to four months.
Developer Backhouse then plans to start work on the first of the 102 residential properties in November, with the first homes ready to occupy by summer 2027.
The company was keen to stress that the iconic listed brewery building, which opened in 1885 and features in the beer-maker’s branding, will be retained.
A separate developer, Trevor Osborne Limited, is applying for planning permission to convert the building into 22 homes.
However, warehouses, stables, and other industrial buildings that housed Wadworth’s now-outdated brewing equipment will go.
Work will begin at the front of the development, facing New Park Street with a block of apartments and a ground floor retail unit – possibly a coffee shop or convenience store – replacing Wadworth’s former brewery shop, which sold canned and bottled beers and merchandise.
Development will then continue back through the site towards the canal, with one- and two-bed studio apartments and three- and four-bed houses, finishing with trendy homes in warehouse style and with balconies and roof terraces over looking the canal.
Public space and 130 parking spaces will make up the development, and £30,000 has been allocated towards a piece of public art.
On Thursday (July 31) Backhouse CEO Ian Jones and Wadworth managing director Toby Bartholomew met with Devizes Town Councillors Iain Wallis and Maria Hoult and Wiltshire Councillors Tamara Reay and Paul Oatway to update them on the scheme, for which Wiltshire Council granted planning permission back in February.
Cllr Wallis said: “As a Devizes native I welcome this sympathetic redevelopment of the former Wadworth Brewery which will enhance the main gateway to our town and ensure the site continues to support the needs of our community.
“This new neighbourhood will have a unique sense of place while integrating beautifully into its canal-side setting.”
Cllr Reay added: “This marks an exciting new chapter for Devizes.
“The transformation of the former Wadworth Brewery site will not only provide high-quality homes that respond to local needs but also protect and enhance the historic and environmental character of this significant location.”
The briefing was followed on Saturday, August 2, with a well-attended drop-in event for the public at the brewery’s Bear Hotel.
Ian Jones said: “As a Wiltshire-based business, it is a privilege to work on such an important site in Devizes, honouring its history while also delivering a revitalised future.”
Beer was brewed at Wadworth’s Northgate Brewery between 1885 and 2023, when the firm’s state-of-the-art new brewing facility at Folly Road, five minutes’ drive across town, opened.