BOSSES at Thwaites say plans to move out of Blackburn town centre should take a step further next week when the sale of their new site is completed.

In June, the Penny Street firm announced it was moving to Sykes Holt at Mellor Brook, just off the A59, bringing to an end months of speculation over the future of the 200-year-old brewery.

MORE TOP STORIES:

And chief executive Rick Bailey said the firm expected to complete the sale on site on Friday, November 21, and unveiled a tentative timetable of how the move could pan out.

Speaking exclusively to the Lancashire Telegraph, Mr Bailey said: “We have appointed an architect, Adam Richards, and then we go into a briefing process.

“After that we can start looking at the design of the new site.”

Mr Bailey said he hoped plans would be submitted to Ribble Valley Council next June, with the intention of beginning construction work in January 2016 and opening the new brewery in April 2017.

He said: “We will go for planning towards the middle of next year.

“There is quite a lot to do in terms of design.”

Once the brewery moves to Sykes Holt, Mr Bailey said the focus would be on producing quality cask and craft beers.

He said: “We will expand what we are doing now as we are really focused on our cask ales and craft ales and that is what our customers are looking for.

“We will continue to outsource brewing of small amounts of keg lager and smooth, but we have got to invest in the future and in growth.”

And the public face of the company should be more accessible to visitors, according to Mr Bailey.

He said: “we will have a brewery tap there and a food offering, and the shire horses will be on display.

“Part of the design challenge is how we can engage with the public and how people can get involved in the process.”

What becomes of the iconic Star Brewery still remains to be seen, and Mr Bailey said nothing had been decided.

He said: “This is a medium term project and there are no firm plans for what we are going to do on this site, but we will be looking to redevelop it in a way that is sympathetic to what is going on in the town at the moment.

“There are already exciting developments in the town centre and this is something that will help to reinvigorate Blackburn.”