Wishbone Brewery given go-ahead to open taproom in Keighley town centre

Wishbone Brewery announced its plans to open a new bar in a former children’s clothing shop on Low Street earlier this year. Bradford Council granted the business a licence after hearing that the bar would “bring something new” to Keighley.

The bar will be opening in the former Kids Connection store, a short distance from Keighley Market. The application went before the Bradford District Licensing Panel on September 13, where members were told that had been an objection to the plans.

Ibin Paul and Aneesh Paul, the new landlords of neighbouring 62-64 Low Street, claimed the bar plan would bring “public safety risks.” They said they planned to open a 24/7 health care business in their unit, and that staff had raised concerns about working next to a bar.

They also said they planned to turn the upper floors of their building into flats, and the bar could cause issues for potential future tenants, but the objectors did not attend the meeting.

Adrian Chapman from Wishbone Brewery told members that they had regular open events at their base in Chesham Street, and had never had any trouble.

He said: “It will be a modern style of bar that will attract more cultured drinkers who are drinking more for flavour.”

He said the beers produced by the brewery are not sold in supermarkets or chains like Wetherspoons, but in craft beer bars.

Mr Chapman added: “The Low Street bar will reflect the ethos of how we run the brewery. There will always be drinkers who drink for the sake of alcohol, but modern bars have a range of flavours and types of beer. For a lot of people, they don’t want to drink for the alcohol, but to experience interesting drinks. At the moment Keighley doesn’t really have a bar that serves these people.”

Mr Chapman told members he hoped the bar would encourage other similar business to open in the town centre.

He referred to The Sparrow in Bradford – a bar that opened on North Parade in Bradford city centre a decade ago and let to a surge in new craft beer bars in that area of the city.

He told the panel: “We want to bring something new to Keighley. We hope it will play a part in making the town somewhere where people want to visit and come back to.”

Members were told that last orders would be 10pm on the vast majority of nights, with customers having to leave by 10.30pm. The panel voted to approve the licence.