Summer beer garden plans at old mill cancelled after council's threat of closure

A pop-up beer garden planned at an old mill this summer has been cancelled. ShinDigger's Secret Garden events which were set to take place every weekend in July and August at Talbot Mill will no longer be happening.

It comes after the Manchester brewers secured a licence for the events despite opposition from council staff who raised concerns about noise. The licensing officers also had concerns about health and safety at the former textiles mill on the edge of the city centre in Ellesmere Street which is being converted into around 200 apartments by developer Capital and Centric.

Councillors on the licensing panel gave the green light for the events to go ahead, but warned that council officers would be 'watching you like a hawk'. The brewers who submitted the temporary events notices were told that their speakers could be seized if there were noise complaints from local residents.

READ MORE: Blow for beer garden at old mill as scaled back summer plans could be called off

Speaking at the town hall hearing on May 16, ShinDigger co-founder George Grant said there would no be DJs - just background music under his control - and promised to make sure that punters would act responsibly at all times. However, he has now confirmed that the events will not be going ahead.

He said: "It is my opinion that the city centre should be a vibrant place, hosting an array of exciting events. Our vision was to create a unique beer garden space for people to enjoy in the peak of summer, and to do that our focus would need to be 100 pc committed on producing an amazing venue.

"We did not want to go ahead shrouded in uncertainty and under constant fear of being closed down. On a more positive note, we learned a lot from this whole