Leicestershire brewer Everards has formally announced its plans for the second phase of its Everards Meadows site.
The brewing business, which owns around 170 pubs, is just weeks away from opening a beer hall at the site south of Leicester, which stands next to a new brewery that will come online over the coming months. It will also be the new Everards headquarters.
Now the family-owned business is inviting members of the public to comment on its future plans for the 70 acre site prior to putting in a new planning application.
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Its early plans for the next stage of the site have been drawn up by Franklin Ellis Associates, which has offices in Leicester and Nottingham.
Proposals for phase two include a new 50-80 room hotel and the creation of a mixed “campus”, with up to seven new buildings, set around a tree-lined square.
Occupiers for the campus have not yet been confirmed, but Everards said the space would be suitable for commercial, educational or health care users.
A spokesman said: “The new development would look to match the green and leafy feel of the first phase of the scheme, with new areas of landscaping and trees, alongside supporting infrastructure for cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles.”
Everards managing director Stephen Gould said: “We’ve been excited to see Everards Meadows start to establish itself as a new destination for Leicestershire.
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“The easy access to green space and the quality of the offer has proved hugely popular with local people during the pandemic, and we can’t wait to open our new home.
“We’re very pleased to be sharing our plans for the next phase of development with our neighbours. It has always been our intention to create a successful and sustainable destination which offers a range of different attractions and activities.
“Our plans for the second phase of Everards Meadows will complement and build upon our success so far, enabling more people to benefit from this beautiful location surrounded by nature.”
Before submitting a planning application, Everards is inviting local people to view the proposals and provide feedback via a dedicated consultation website at www.everardsmeadows-haveyoursay.co.uk.
Existing tenants on Everards Meadows include Jenno’s Coffee House and Rutland Cycling, which opened in 2019.
The area – near Fosse Park and Junction 21 of the M1 – has proved popular with cyclists and walkers, who can access the neighbouring Soar Valley and Leicestershire countryside from a network of new paths and cycle routes.
Mr Gould recently told BusinessLive Everards was keen to push on with the hotel plans –which he said could cost £5 million – despite the tough trading environment which had seen its pubs shut for much of the last year.
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He said a new beer hall recently completed on the site would open on June 3, while the brewery will be capable of brewing 16,000 barrels of beer a year.
Mr Gould said a smaller “pilot brewery” has also been set up allowing Everards to do trial production runs of new beers and allow members of the public to have a go at brewing their own.
He said: “As well as the hotel we are keen to see if we can construct some buildings that could be connected to health and wellbeing and education.
“The 70 acre Everards Meadows site has been a huge success and we think it is somewhere that could appeal to a university looking to develop a research and development facility, for example.
“And, of course, when people visit that we visualise them interacting with the whole of Everards Meadows and even being able to stay at the hotel.”