Hall & Woodhouse brewery work nears

Work on Hall & Woodhouse's long-awaited £5m new brewhouse in Blandford St Mary is due to start next month.

Work on Hall & Woodhouse's long-awaited £5m new brewhouse is due to start next month.

Plans for the new 110,000-hectolitre brewery at company headquarters in Blandford St Mary, Dorset, were first unveiled in 2006.

Vice-chairman Mark Woodhouse said the multi-million pound investment in the new brewhouse would secure the company's future at its Blandford St Mary site for generations to come.

He said earlier this year: "Our last brewery was commissioned over 100 years ago, and the decisions we make today are for future Woodhouse generations."

Outline planning permission for the development was first granted in October 2007. The original plan included some 156 houses, 34 flats, shops, and offices.

Commercial director David French said the creation of housing was still on the brewery's agenda, but said its focus was on opening the brewhouse. Production at the new plant could begin as early as September 2011.