A pub company which specialises in converting historic buildings is set to open its first Birmingham venue on the Calthorpe Estate.

Brunning Price is eyeing the home of the Birmingham Medical Institute Conference Centre in Edgbaston to launch the new pub and restaurant called The Physician as a nod to its previous usage.

The project in Harborne Road would involve some demolition and remodelling of the premises, including removing a two-storey extension at the rear of the building and expanding the garden room.

It is expected to create around 30 full- and part-time jobs, with work on site due to start in April ahead of a September opening.

Although not listed, the building’s origins date back to the 1830s and it was once used for “middle class interests” such as displaying art and entertaining, according to a newly submitted planning application.

Its owner Calthorpe Estates is also currently carrying out a major regeneration project in Edgbaston very close to the application site called The Village which involves new shops, houses and a hotel.

A design statement accompanying the proposal said: “Since 1954, the BMI building has offered educational, training and conferencing facilities for the medical profession.

“Its internal layout is unsuitable for modern office uses. The building far exceeds the needs of the handful of its occupiers, serving merely as a lecture hall.

“The BMI lease expired in 2013 and a temporary lease has been put to cover the transfer of operations to more suitable accommodation.

“Owner Calthorpe Estates sought a use which was viable and complementary to the new Village vision which would retain the historic building with a sustainable and beneficial use.”

The conversion to a pub will also enable the redevelopment of the plot’s rear car park to create a new state-of-the-art medical and life sciences hub building which is the subject of a separate planning application.

Chester-based Brunning Price was created in 1988 by Jerry Brunning and Graham Price when they formed a new company called Pubs Ltd, later renamed Brunning Price.

The group now runs a series of free houses, many of which are in the North West and North Wales and are owned by their managers.

Its presence in the West Midlands is sparse by comparison but its sites here include The Inn at Shipley near Wolverhampton, The Armoury in Shrewsbury and The Red Lion in Longdon Green, near Lichfield.

In 2013, it was named pub group of the year by the Good Pub Guide.