PLANS which have been fermenting for the past year to redevelop the Hall and Woodhouse site at Blandford St Mary with a new brewery and nearly 200 homes are being poured out for public consumption.

The brewery is holding a series of open days at its visitor centre Thursday, Friday and Saturday to give locals a taste of what is proposed before a formal planning application is lodged with North Dorset District Council at the end of the month.

At the heart of the £13 million project is the construction of a modern brewhouse on part of the Hall & Woodhouse complex previously used for the manufacture of soft drinks.

The new brewery will replace the present collection of buildings, many dating from the arrival of the Hall & Woodhouse company in Blandford in 1899, which are earmarked for conversion into flats and apartments.

And a corner of the 17-acre site will be redeveloped with new houses including up to 60 affordable homes, commercial premises and community buildings linking the centre of Blandford with the supermarket, gardens centre and recreation facilities on the edge of the town.

Since the proposals were mooted a year ago, brewery bosses and district council officers have been working closely to streamline the passage of the scheme through the planning stages and subject to consents work could begin next year to build the new brewery.

New housing and conversion of the Victorian buildings will not start until production of the company's Badger beers and ales has been transferred to the new brewery expected to be completed by the end of 2009.

Liz Abraham, group head of property at Hall and Woodhouse, said the project underlined the company's commitment to carry on brewing in Blandford by replacing outdated, inefficient and uneconomic 100-year-old buildings with a 21st century brewery which would last for the next 100 years.

She said: "We have listened to people who live and work in Blandford and incorporated many suggestions into our plans."

Managing director David Woodhouse added: "We are passionate about our brewing heritage and by building a modern, efficient brewery it will secure brewing in Blandford for many years to come."