Topgolf UK has lodged an application for an alcohol licence for its recently approved £40m multi-storey golf and entertainment complex in Gateshead. The venue, granted planning permission in July 2025, will be built on the former production site of Newcastle Brown Ale in Dunston.
Licence details and operating hours
The application seeks permission to supply alcohol from 8am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday. The venue’s anticipated opening hours are from 7.30am to half-past midnight throughout the week. The maximum capacity is set at 1,344 people, including staff across the three floors.
Security measures include a “comprehensive” CCTV system with recordings stored for at least 31 days, available to police or the council. Staff will enforce Challenge 25, requiring photographic ID from anyone suspected to be under 25, and all staff involved in alcohol sales will undergo training.
Background of the site
The planning permission, granted by Gateshead Council’s planning and development committee, allows the transformation of the old Federation Brewery site on Lancaster Road into a 102-hitting bay driving range. The site was the production home of Newcastle Brown Ale from 2005 to 2010, before production moved to Tadcaster in 2010 after Heineken closed the Dunston factory, which was demolished in 2013.
Planning documents cite a £40m investment and projected visitor numbers of 450,000 per year. Topgolf also forecast that the scheme will generate £150m to £250m over a 10-year period.
