The National Brewery Centre museum and visitor centre in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire is to open on 1 May.

The new attraction - built on the site of the Coors Visitor Centre and Museum of Brewing, formerly the Bass Museum, which closed in June 2008 - will be operated by Planning Solutions and retain key elements of the original venue, which included historic vehicles, a micro-brewery and a shire horse collection.

Brewers Molson Coors UK contributed to the new development by providing the buildings and artefacts at a peppercorn rent, donating £200,000 in matched funding to get the project moving and pledging a further £100,000 annually for the maintenance of the buildings throughout a 25-year lease.

John Lowther, Planning Solutions chief executive, said: "Burton has a proud position in not only the UK's brewing industry, but throughout the world.

"We are delighted to be opening The National Brewery Centre and celebrating the vital contribution that the town has made to our brewing industry and heritage."

A local action group, formed in January 2009 by Burton MP Janet Dean, campaigned for the reopening of the site.

Pic from left: John Lowther, Planning Solutions; John Polglass, Molson Coors; Keith Norris, chair of Local Action Group; Janet Dean, MP for Burton-Upon-Trent