Proposals to convert the former Tolly Cobbold brewery on Ipswich's Cliff Quay into a new care home and community centre should become clearer over the next few weeks when a formal planning application is lodged with the borough.

The new owner of the site, care-home owner Mac Khan, submitted pre-application proposals to the borough in the spring and has been talking to planning officials for several months to come up with a proposal that is likely to be acceptable to councillors.

Mr Khan said that he hoped to be in a position to formally lodge a planning application within the next few weeks.

He said: "We have been talking for several months now and that has been good. We are quite near being in a position to put the plans in and for them to be published."

The proposals include restoring and reopening the Brewery Tap as a restaurant and this is likely to be completed before work on the main brewery building starts.

The old brewery was seriously damaged by fire in February 2020 - and it is understood that none of the brewing equipment, which was listed along with the building itself, is no longer in place.

But as a Grade Two listed building, any changes will have to be made as sensitively as possible.

Mr Khan, who also owns the Westerfield House centre and the former Defiance Pub which is due to be developed soon, bought the brewery at the end of last year - and his son Awais is to project-manage its redevelopment.

It is hoped that the restored Brewery Tap will help to provide an income which will allow the restoration of the main brewery to be speeded up - but at the time of the purchase Mr Khan was unable to be certain about either timescales or the cost of the redevelopment.

But the total bill is expected to run into many millions of pounds.

Councillors are keen to see the details of Mr Khan's plans but are pleased that it has been bought by a local business leader with a track record of carrying projects through.

Council leader David Ellesmere said: "I will be very interested to see what is proposed there when the plans are published - but talking to Mr Khan it is clear that this is a labour of love for him and that has to be good news."