A micro-brewery will be built and a riverside pub expanded after planning permission was granted.

The William Morris pub in Merton Abbey Mills, Colliers Wood, will soon have a micro-brewery on site, with a new shop to sell beer brewed there, a remodelled riverside terrace, restaurant and outdoor dining area.

Nearly three years ago, similar plans to redevelop the William Morris and the 1929 shop in Colliers Wood were also approved, but those plans eventually fell by the wayside.

Office Estates, which owns the site in Merton Abbey Mills has been advertising for a brewing company with a "big vision" in recent months.

Now its director, Terry Buckland, believes they are close to bringing the plans to reality this time around.

"The best case scenario is if we can reach terms with a company we are currently in talks with, then we will implement the micro brewing facility," he said.

"We then hope to bring the outside area to life, as it has been quite neglected for some time."

A micro-brewery typically produces small quantities of beer, usually for consumption on the premises where it is based.

A document attached to the application said the hope was to create a better look for the area.

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"The current pub is quite traditional and inoffensive but fails to make the most of the setting’s potential, especially the river," it read.

"There is a problem with visibility as the buildings are tucked away at the rear of the Abbey Mills site and hard to see from the main road.

"The design of the site’s enhancements are intended to maximise the contribution the premises will make to the character and commercial success of the Mills."

Mr Buckland agreed.

He said the hope wasn't just to stop with the brewery.

"The company want to refurbish the pub and make it more of a bistro," he said.

"We are close to reaching an agreement on terms, and we are at a point where we would want them refurbishing within the next 6-8 weeks.

"If we could have brought it a brewing company already we would have, but we want to the fit to be right."

Documents show that outside, a permanent roof for the decked area will be built over the terrace so this area can be used throughout the year for additional seating.

The two buildings will be connected by an internal ‘boulevard’.