Liverpool's Cains Brewery has unveiled ambitious plans to transform into a major tourism, leisure and retail destination in a bid to become a national visitor destination.

The multi-million pound Brewery Village would restore the Grade II listed headquarters building on Grafton Street to its former glory.

The building would also house a 100-room boutique hotel, a spa and fitness centre and function rooms.

The proposal includes the addition of digital work studios and a large open plan delicatessen-style food market and restaurant for independent artisan producers to make and sell their produce on site.

The existing historic Brewery Tap pub would be restored and retained and the company is looking to increase the amount of traditional Cains ales brewed at the site.

The plans also include proposals for a four-screen independent art-house cinema, separate food store, high quality apartments and car parking.

The architect working on the scheme, Falconer Chester Hall (FCH), is looking to create a destination, which retains the brewery's industrial heritage features and blends them with modern architecture.

On an adjacent site are plans for a phase two residential development, which would consist of high quality apartments.

A market appraisal of the site predicts it would attract about 500,000 visitors a year once complete.

Cains expects to submit a planning application and application for listed building consent by the end of July.

If consent is granted, work on the site would start next spring.

Sudarghara Dusanj, managing director of Cains, said: "We want to create a major new tourism and leisure asset for the city which would secure the future of the Cains beer brand for decades to come.

"We anticipate increasing production of traditional ales by as much as 300% as a result of the scheme.

"We will create a vibrant, independent and varied destination for people to live, work and enjoy which complements the rest of the city's assets and dramatically improves the appearance of one of the city's most important arterial routes."

The project would secure and create in the region of 800 full-time jobs plus 60 construction jobs during the build stage.