Shropshire brewery wins green light for £2 million Birmingham pub revamp

A project by a Shropshire brewery to revamp and invest in a community pub has been given the green light.

Market Drayton-based Joule's Brewery has won consent to carry out the work on The New Inn in Harborne, a Birmingham suburb around three miles from the city centre.

Joule's acquired the building, which dates back to 1845, just over two years ago and said it had spent time getting to know the pub, listening to the local community and developing plans to protect its character.

It now plans to invest more than £2 million into the building which it said represented the biggest expenditure it had ever made into one of its taphouses.

Its original bar and Victorian parlour rooms will remain at the heart of the pub, complemented by new spaces and a beer garden development.

Work is not set to begin immediately as Joule's is preparing for the project next year, however the pub continues to trade as usual.

Development director Anna Brakel said: "We're absolutely delighted that our plans have been approved. We'd like to thank everyone who has supported the project so far.

“The response from Harborne has been fantastic and we're really looking forward to the next chapter."

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Managing director Vicky Colclough added: "We're a small local brewery and projects like this only happen because people continue to support what we do.

"We feel incredibly privileged to have the opportunity to care for buildings like The New Inn and we never lose sight of the responsibility that comes with that.

"Our aim has always been simple - to restore this wonderful pub with care and create somewhere that Harborne can continue to enjoy for many years to come."

Elsewhere in Birmingham, Joule's has just reopened Victorian pub The Red Lion in the city's historic Jewellery Quarter district after it underwent a £500,000 restoration project.