A micro-brewery could be started in a disused barn at Cerne Abbas.

West Dorset planners are being recommended to approve the proposal for Chescombe Barn at Barton Meadows off the Dorchester Road.

The barn is 250metres down a track off the A352 Dorchester to Sherborne Road, half a mile south of the village, and has not been used since being bought by the Horsington family in 2016.

Cerne Abbas Brewery say the site is ideal for them, being close to the village yet far enough away from any residential properties that nobody should be disturbed by the long hours they sometimes have to work.

They says that alterations needed to the building, and an integral home within the barn complex, would have little effect on the outside of the building.

The parish council, which considered the plan in March, says it fully supports the application.

The brewery is currently based at Black Hill Barn, Old Sherborne Road, but say that Chescombe Barn would be better for them. They have been brewing since 2014, winning one of the top prizes in that year at the Dorchester Beer Festival.

Once operational the micro-brewery hopes to run occasional open days but will sell its products not from the site, but via local licensed premises

The Cerne Valley has a history of brewing dating back beyond the 10th century when the ancient art was practiced by the brothers of the Cerne Abbey. According to the applicant, In the 18th century, Bishop Richard Pocock described Cerne Abbas as “more famous for its beer than any other place in the country”. The local waters have been said to be “superior to any other in the land” because of the belt of green sand between the chalk. Brewing stopped in the late 19th century but has recently been brought back to the valley through the Cerne Abbas Brewery.