MORRELLS, the Oxford brewery that has parted company with its managing director following a board-room row, plans a major redevelopment of its city centre site.

The brewery has received planning permission to rebuild the site that it has occupied for more than 100 years.

It says the objective of the rebuilding is to produce a more efficient boiler house at the company's Lion Brewery in St Thomas Street to encompass up-to-date methods of brewing.

Following the sudden departure of former managing director Charles Eld, the company has announced that it is putting together an ambitious finance package to modernise the brewery.

Architects The Ark Partnership, of Ramsbury, Wiltshire, have drawn up plans for redeveloping all of the central core and western edge of the site along with part of its south western edge.

Architect Andy Driver, of the Ark Partnership, said: "The redevelopment should please neighbouring residents, since it involves replacing the coal-fired boiler house with gas and oil".

Morrells spokesman David Polden was unable to say when work would start on redeveloping the Lion Brewery.

He said: "We have only just learned that planning permission has been granted. Now the board will consider what to do with it."

Mr Eld declined to comment on details of the board-room row that led to his departure from Morrells.

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