BrewDog could open first Fife bar by end of summer

It is looking to expand into St Andrews, and says it is aiming for an opening date in just eight weeks.

The company is set to move into the old Nardini’s ice cream parlour on South Street and hopes to announce a firm opening date within the next week.

Audrey Dunner, solicitor, told Fife Licensing Board on Monday: “BrewDog is looking to extend opening times until 1am at the weekend and add bar meals to the facility.

“It wants to be in the property in around eight weeks, from mid-August, and the capacity would be 105.

“This is a Scottish company and this would be its first premises in Fife – St Andrews has been identified as a key site - and while I appreciate the concerns raised by local residents, I do think they are a bit premature. BrewDog is not the standard type of public house, there is a focus on craft beer and the clientele are generally not as rowdy.

“There won’t be any live performances here or functions – nothing that happens on a regular basis to spark noise concerns.

“We’ve spoken to the architect and added additional layers of soundproofing to the building.”

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BrewDog hopes to employ around 15 to 20 members of staff and is spending around £250,000 developing the site as it is keen to bring the company into Fife.

Councillor Ryan Smart asked Ms Dunner to clarify why the live performances box had been ticked on the application form when she had said there wouldn’t be any.

She replied: “We always apply for those standards in every application, but it’s not a regular occurrence. It would be for occasional events such as a lunch event.”

Cllr Smart asked that when these events happen, the bar liaise with residents in the nearby flats.

Ms Dunner confirmed that it was standard practice for the company to build relationships with neighbours but that they hadn’t moved into the premises yet, so had been unable to do this. However, she said that would happen at the earliest opportunity.

BrewDog confirmed that it would also be delivering food to customers via apps such as Just Eat and Deliveroo, but that it wouldn’t include alcohol.

Sydney Paulsen, head of marketing for BrewDog, said: “We are delighted to receive our licence at St Andrews. We look forward to confirming our opening date in the coming week.”