• Swindon & Wiltshire Property
• Friday March 7 2025
• Author Name: Peter Davison

100-home development on brewery site gets green light from planners

Plans to build 100 homes on the site of Wadworth’s former brewery in Devizes have been green-lit by councillors.

At Wiltshire Council’s Eastern Area Planning Committee, councillors voted unanimously to approve plans by Backhouse Housing for the redevelopment of the site.

The scheme will include 102 new homes, shops, public open spaces, and enhanced pedestrian and cycling connections to the nearby canal.

Homes will include three- and four-bedroom houses alongside studio, one and two-bedroom apartments. There will be 130 parking spaces.

Buildings will range in height from two to four storeys – lower than the adjacent six-storey brewery building with its iconic tower, which is being retained.

Stuart Walter, senior land & planning manager at Chippenham-based developer Backhouse, said: “The former Wadworth Brewery is an important regeneration project for Devizes, and we are very pleased to have achieved planning to deliver high-quality local homes at this location.

“This decision reflects our collaborative approach with officers, stakeholders, and the local community to create a high-quality, design-led scheme that is sensitive to its historic surroundings.”

Work is expected to start this summer, with the first new homes anticipated in early 2027.

The red-brick Northgate Brewery was home to Wadworth for 138 years. In 2023 the company opened its new state-of-the-art £8 million brewery in Folly Road.

Its ultra-efficient steam generator is capable of reducing brewery boiler-warming times from 4.5 hours to just seven minutes – making the brewing of small batch beers possible for the first time.

The family-owned business – which is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year – celebrated with the launch of its first craft IPA, Folly Road: Evolution.

Its flagship real ale 6X continues to be brewed, and it celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023.