Mitchell's Brewery listing will spare it from demolition, say Council

As we reported earlier today, a High Court judge has ruled against a legal challenge by Save Britain's Heritage against the government's demolition legislation in relation to the Mitchell’s brewery site.

But contrary to some reports, the ruling does not pave the way for the building to be demolished.

Last year, Mitchell’s issued Lancaster City Council with notification that it intended to demolish its disused brewery site in Lancaster. Save Britain’s Heritage applied for, and was granted, an injunction preventing demolition pending a judicial review into the government’s demolition legislation.

On Monday, a High Court judge threw out that challenge and backed the city council’s interpretation of the laws on building demolition.

The building cannot, however, be demolished as, in March, it was granted listed building status by the government.

This means that the outcome of the case does not affect the current status of the building and it cannot be demolished unless Listed Building Consent has been granted, or the decision to list it in the first place is successfully challenged in the High Court.

The Brewery is one of Lancaster’s earliest surviving industrial buildings, largely designed by W A Deighton in 1901 who was also responsible for the Grade II-listed Cook Street Brewery in Salford.