The closure of two breweries in a matter of weeks has prompted a wave of public criticism directed at their landlord, Waltham Forest Council, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Main image credit: Joe_Potato via Canva/ Inset: High Hill Taproom, Credit: Google Streetview

The closure of two breweries along Walthamstow’s iconic ‘Beer Mile’ has worried residents about its future.

Beerblefish Brewing Co. closed down on 9th March, while Hackney Brewery will be closing High Hill Tap at the end of the month.

The two venues are the latest to close their doors after neighbouring Wild Card Brewery shut its tap room last October, having accrued “significant rent arrears”.

In a statement posted online, Hackney Brewery said the situation with Waltham Forest Council, its landlord, had become “untenable”.

A spokesperson said: “Despite having a fully licensed tap room and consistently paying our rent, the council will not grant the necessary permission for us to continue running the bar.”

He said the brewery had “honoured our rent payments without fail” over the past two years.

“In June 2024, we entered into a voluntary agreement to settle post-COVID debt with our creditors over an extended period,” he continued. “However, this was not acceptable to the council in respect to arrears due to them, and despite nine months of communication and attempts to resolve the situation, we have been unable to come to a satisfactory agreement.”

As part of the voluntary arrangement, Hackney Brewery was required to form a sister company to re-apply for its taproom license under its own name, the spokesperson said.

He added: “While the licensing department approved our application, the council’s property department withheld the necessary permission, which has resulted in the closure.”

High Hill Tap was named one of the 23 best tap rooms in London by Time Out last February. The tastemakers said: “Brewery tours, vintage fairs, games night and comedy evenings all provide an illuminating backdrop to a session of getting sozzled here.”

Tap-2-Tap, a tour guide specialising in the Beer Mile, said three venues had been “killed in a matter of months”.

They added: “The Beer Mile was a fantastic thing for this area and now they’ve ruined it.”

One resident wrote on Facebook: “Waltham Forest will be shooting themselves in the foot in the long run as less people see a reason to visit if the mile diminishes. First Wild Card now Hackney. The knock on effect can’t be ignored.”

Waltham Forest Council says the decision to close the taproom “was the business’s and theirs alone”.

The Labour-run council “did not ask for it to close” and was “surprised to see this announcement”. Additionally, the license was “not connected” to the arrears owed.

Council leader Grace Williams said the council “works hard” to support local businesses but “expects them to act in good faith and operate according to the terms of their property contract”.

She continued: “We must collect the rent that is due to us to fund essential services. If we did not, the only alternative would be to allocate other money from council tax receipts or our reserves.

“Councils have a responsibility to their residents to provide essential services such as adult social care, support for vulnerable children, and help for homeless families.

“We use many income streams to do this, with one of the most important ones being rent we collect from commercial tenancies. If we did not collect this money, it would impact our ability to provide these essential services, hitting our most vulnerable residents who need the most support hardest.”

In a public statement, a spokesperson for the council added that Lockwood Way “will continue to play an important part” of the Beer Mile and it wanted to “find reliable new tenants for these premises”.

Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, has written to the council asking for an investigation into how “we can ensure [small- and medium-sized] businesses can manage uncertain economic times and how the local authority can secure longer term objectives”.

She said the council’s approach – which includes “misunderstandings” and a “lack of responses” before a “sudden escalation” – was “deeply counterproductive” to “ensuring a thriving local economy”.

She added that while some businesses had “misused the council’s goodwill,” those that survived the 2020 pandemic “remained committed to Walthamstow”.

Beerblefish did not offer a reason behind its sudden departure. In a brief statement posted to its website, a spokesperson confirmed the closure of both the tap room and online store.

He wrote: “We closed the doors of the taproom to the public on [9th March]. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the last ten years, from our tiny operation in a co-operative space, through our slightly less tiny brewery in Edmonton to our final home in Walthamstow. We’ve had a blast, and we hope you have too.”

High Hill Tap will continue to serve customers on Thursdays through Sundays until 30th March. Hackney Brewery will remain in operation following the closure.

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