IT’S probably Glasgow’s best-known district in the legends of old — but these days it’s sometimes found lacking on the soul front.

So it’s all the more exciting that one of Scotland’s newest social enterprises has chosen a railway arch in the Gorbals as its home.

The story began with Dave Lanigan, who has been brewing at Ride Brew Co in Glasgow’s city centre for some years.

His own experience of hearing loss, ADHD and dyslexia has never hampered his love of beer — but pubs are not exactly renowned for being accessible to disabled people.

He came up with the idea of a fully accessible tap room, with brewing on site. It would be run as a not-for-profit social enterprise, which has allowed the collective to get planning permission in an area where the council has been reluctant to license new venues.

What’s more, jobs could be offered to disabled people struggling to find work.

Lanigan was joined in the venture by Simon Tardivel, from the Bute Brew Co, who was looking for new opportunities amid his current brewery temporarily moving off the island so improved premises can be built there. Another partner is Late Night Hype Brewing Company. 

The team are now seeking to raise £25,000 through an online crowdfunding campaign, which closes on December 7.

A pledge of £5 gets you a Glasgow Brewery Collective badge, and prizes rise on a scale to a “micro brew day” for four at £1,000.

They’re determined to get it right, Tardivel explains. “We will be meeting with people with disabilities and community groups to see what facilities and services we can offer to make the space as accessible as possible.”

Current plans include a T-loop — a system in which sound is transmitted into hearing aids via a magnetic field, which reduces background noise.

A section of the bar will be lowered and frontless for wheelchair access, and autism hours will see quieter music and reduced brewery noise.

Menus will be in large print, and lighting will be balanced to keep a good atmosphere while maintaining access for visually impaired people.

The collective will partner with disability charity the Shaw Trust and Glasgow City Council’s assisted employment service to reach out to potential workers.

Fair pay is another crucial plank of the project. “I don’t want anyone to be paid more than the living wage until everyone is paid the living wage,” says Tardivel.

If the project gets the funding it needs, there are also plans for a bookable space which will be made available to community groups.

Glasgow isn’t short of watering holes, but it doesn’t look like there’ll be much deja brew in this establishment.