THE handover of a revolutionary new £2.8million office complex in Rossendale will go ahead on time next week.

The Kingfisher Centre, on Futures Park, in Bacup, consisting of 50 office units will create more than 150 jobs.

Bacup engineering design specialist, mCADuk, based on Henrietta Street, will be the first company to move into the complex on Tuesday.

John Fish, director of the firm, said: "We need a place for the company to grow and Futures Park is just perfect for us.

"We started trading in April and took our first employee on in September. By the time we move into the new office in six months we hope to be in a position to take on another."

John Calway, managing director of Kingfisher Business Centre, who will run the complex, said: "We are delighted that the project is coming in exactly on schedule and on budget too. It is a credit to the building team from Eric Wright Construction. "They have worked incredibly hard to ensure the scheme never fell behind.

"We have 12 businesses waiting to move as soon as the doors open and we are confident more will follow. This is an exciting time, it is the first time Bacup has had such a modern business complex, and we believe it will attract a host of highly-skilled, well-paid jobs."

The 30,000 sq ft development boasts broadband internet, conference facilities and 24-hour access, as well as car parking and security.

Funding for the centre, which is sited on a former mill in the Lee Mill area, has been provided by the Northwest Development Agency, the European Regional Development Fund and Rossendale Borough Council.

Mr Calway added: "The headaches with travelling and parking in major towns and cities are familiar to us all. Futures Park is the perfect cure."

The opening is on Tuesday, May 4, from noon, and representatives from the developers, NWDA and Kingfisher and Rossendale Council will be at the handover ceremony. The official opening is on Friday, June 4.