A BAR in Idle will soon be re-launched after undergoing a major refurbishment and rebranding.

The former Symposium ale and wine bar on Albion Road has been shut for several weeks while workers are sprucing it up, and it will open later this month under the name Idle Beerhouse, specialising in craft ale and fresh food.

The Beerhouse group, which runs pubs and bars in Stalybridge, Dewsbury, Huddersfield and Wakefield, recently acquired the bar from Market Town Taverns, and it will be the group’s first venture in Bradford. They say that they hope it is the “first of many” to open in the district.

The group told the Telegraph & Argus that the focus would be “real ale, really great food” and although they did not yet have an exact figure on how much was being spent in the refurbishment, they said it signified a major investment in the building.

The interior of the building is being totally transformed, with a new bar and complete kitchen upgrade, including a new open coal grill.

But some of the building’s more striking features, including its distinctive windows, are being retained.

The outdoor area at the back of the building is also being refurbished, with a smoking terrace being turned into a sun terrace for customers, and heaters being added to the area beneath the terrace, creating an “under the boardwalk” style outdoor eating and drinking area that can be used year round.

The bar will offer craft beer, real ale, Gin and Tequila, as well as a changing menu of food made from ingredients supplied by local producers.

Jason Shaw, from Beerhouses, said: “The former interior was very dark, we’re brightening it up a lot more, it is going to have a clear identity. We’re not sectioning it off so there is a restaurant area and a drinking area, it is all very open.

“We are waiting to open until everything is right, you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. The statement of intent is clear, we want to attract an audience here that is not depleting, we want people to feel really comfortable here.”

They hope the bar will be open later this month.

Beerhouses is not linked to The Beerhouse, based on North Parade.