Former Guinness Brewery Site St James’s Gate Development Plans
Detailed plans for a 500+-unit mixed-use scheme within the historic St James’s Gate brewery grounds were formally submitted in October 2025, setting out a major expansion of the previously proposed Guinness Quarter into a new residential, commercial, and cultural neighbourhood.
Why is it important?
The application seeks permission for more than 500 new homes alongside office space, retail and hospitality units, a market hall, cultural facilities including a mid-sized performance venue, and significant new public realm. The submission describes a mix of apartment types across several low- to mid-rise blocks arranged around new squares and pedestrian routes that open the brewery lands to the city for the first time in over two centuries.
How this differs from earlier proposals
The Guinness Quarter masterplan previously approved and promoted by the development partners proposed around 336 residential units together with hotels, offices and market/food-hall uses. The October 2025 submission increases housing capacity substantially while retaining many of the previously signalled cultural and commercial uses.
Heritage and conservation
The plans place heavy emphasis on conservation and adaptive reuse of several brewery buildings identified as heritage assets. Designers propose restoring key brick and cast-iron structures and inserting new uses in a way intended to keep visible the industrial character of the site while allowing contemporary interventions. Architects on the earlier masterplan stressed sensitivity to St James’s Gate’s long history and to the need to create public access where the site was previously closed to the public.
Sustainability and transport
The October 2025 materials frame the scheme as a low-carbon, largely car-lite district with extensive cycle infrastructure, upgraded pedestrian links to James Street and surrounding neighbourhoods, and reduced parking provision. The submission also highlights energy-efficiency measures and district-wide servicing strategies intended to align with Dublin City Council’s sustainability targets and earlier ambitions for a near-zero carbon urban quarter.
Local reaction and community concerns
Local groups and traders in The Liberties welcomed proposals to create more public spaces and to activate long-closed parts of the brewery, but expressed caution about scale, housing affordability, and construction impacts. Community representatives are expected to press for a higher proportion of social and affordable homes than currently proposed, stronger commitments on local jobs during construction and operation, and protections for existing independent businesses that rely on visitor footfall around the Storehouse.
Economic case and cultural offer
Developers argue the scheme will deliver jobs, new visitor attractions and a boost to nearby retail and hospitality sectors while reinforcing the Storehouse’s role in Dublin tourism. The proposals include a market hall intended to showcase Irish food and craft producers and a curated cultural programme for new performance and exhibition spaces, intended to provide year-round activity rather than seasonal peaks.
Next steps and timetable
The planning application was lodged in October 2025 and is now with Dublin City Council for validation and statutory public consultation. The council will invite submissions from statutory bodies and the public, and a decision will follow the council’s statutory timelines. If approved, developers estimate phased delivery over several years; the submission proposes mitigation measures to manage construction disruption and phasing to coordinate with any continuing brewing operations on adjacent lands.
Why it matters
