CONSTRUCTION work on Moorhouse’s £3.5million state-of-the-art brewery is to start today.

The new development, next to the existing site in Accrington Road, will include a larger brew house, new offices and a specialist training and visitor centre, which will see the workforce doubled.

When up and running the new facility will triple Moorhouse’s brewing capacity to 1,000 barrels a week.

Burnley Council’s leader Gordon Birtwistle and chief executive Steve Rumbelow will be on hand to see work begin on phase one of the development.

Coun Birtwistle said the council had worked closely with Moorhouse’s to secure funding from the North West Development Agency.

“The brewery has a proud history in Burnley since it started in 1865,” he said. “One-hundred-and-forty-four years on and worldwide acc-laim for their unique ales, they are investing in a superb new brewing facility to meet expansion plans.

“Burnley’s landscape is undergoing a major trans-formation, with new inve-stment and buildings springing up across the borough. This will be another development landmark refle-cting Burnley’s rising bus-iness barometer.”

The £1.8million phase one, comprising new brew house and warehousing, is due to be commissioned next summer.

Stage two will see new offices, a visitor centre and training school erected on the site of the present Moor-house Street brewery, built in 1870.

Finally, the existing administration centre and warehouse will be cleared for car parking with comp-letion planned for early 2011.

David Grant, Moorhouse’s managing director, said: “Last year the directors took the bold decision to go ahead despite the recession.

“There have been some unforeseen red tape delays, but now it is all systems go.”