Plan to turn Johnnie Walker plant into museum 'an insult'

Published on Friday 10 July 2009 22:21

PLANS that could see the Johnnie Walker plant in Kilmarnock turned into a tourist attraction have been branded an "insult" by political leaders.

The drinks giant's senior managers have said they want to leave a "legacy" in the Ayrshire town once they shut the plant, which currently employs 900 staff.

They believe a tourist attraction – possibly a whisky museum or heritage centre – could be erected on the site to capitalise on the 150-year-old link between the Johnnie Walker brand and the town.

Diageo chiefs are to be summoned to Westminster next week to explain the closures, which they announced to stunned workers at the plant last week. MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee will convene a special session to press the firm to withdraw their proposals.

However, Diageo directors insist that the closure of the Kilmarnock plant is the only option on the table. While they say they are open to any new ideas from ministers or enterprise chiefs, they insist the closure is necessary to guarantee the long-term future of their business.

David Gosnell, managing director of global supply and procurement, said that the firm wanted to maintain a presence in the Ayrshire town.

He said: "We would like to talk to all our stakeholders about what our legacy (in Kilmarnock] should be, what we should leave in Kilmarnock. Based on our plan and our proposals, we would like to leave a legacy.

"We definitely want to engage with all our stakeholders about what that legacy is going to be."

Asked whether he was considering a tourist attraction there, he agreed it was among the plans. The association between Kilmarnock and Johnnie Walker dates back to the 1820s when the whisky was first distilled in the town. But local Kilmarnock MP Des Browne said: "Too many times we have lost jobs in communities across Scotland to industrial heritage projects. My view is that things like this just rub people's noses in the memory of what they have lost."

He added: "This is no substitute for good jobs in production. It would be completely unacceptable to the people of Kilmarnock as a solution to the current crisis facing the town.

"A heritage project would in no way repay the debts of two centuries of loyal and hard work from the people of Ayrshire."

SNP MSP Willie Coffey added: "It is an insult to all those working at the plant to talk about a museum instead of a working whisky plant."

A Diageo spokeswoman said: "Diageo has no proposals for a museum at present. We will engage with people on a legacy at the end of the consultation if that is what comes about."