EAST LANCASHIRE was today given a 1,500 jobs boost after plans to build three call centres on the outskirts of Blackburn were unveiled.

Sussex-based Bannertown Call Centre Now has bought the last large plot of land on Shadsworth Industrial Estate and submitted plans for the £19million scheme.

Grants secured from Blackburn with Darwen Council will ensure a large portion of the jobs go to local people, with the buildings expected to be completed early next year.

Today Coun Bill Taylor, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said he had no doubt the 1,500 jobs would become a reality, even though property agents have yet to begin marketing the site to "blue chip" companies.

But there have been calls for the announcement to become the catalyst for higher quality white collar jobs in the area.

The new jobs are in addition to the 1,000 already created at Shadsworth Business Park over the past three years by other firms moving into the area.

Developers will build a creche on the site, providing childcare facilities in a bid to attract new parents back to work. Blackburn with Darwen Council will use its employment charter -- which gives grants to companies that employ people from deprived areas in Blackburn -- to ensure a large proportion of the jobs go to local people.

The grants support initial wages and some training costs.

The announcement follows more than two years of negotiations between Blackburn with Darwen Council's regeneration department, Bannertown and the construction firm, Hargreaves Developments, of Bolton.

The company's managing director, Tony Beadle, said the firm had chosen the site as one of six major new investment sites in the North West because of its location close to the M65, its telecommunication network and also the large local labour force that would benefit from new jobs. Mr Beadle said each of the buildings would be 50,000 square feet in capacity and be marketed and leased to blue-chip companies.

The project is subject to planning approval, although this is expected to be a formality and should be given next month.

Coun Taylor said: "Blackburn with Darwen is booming! We are very confident that these jobs are a reality -- it's never been our style to count our chickens before they are hatched.

"Capturing this new investment for the borough contributes to the ongoing transformation of our economy to meet the needs of the 21st Century."

Michael Damms, chief executive of East Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, said: "We're really pleased at the interest being shown by potential employers. We know that Blackburn with Darwen Council have been working hard to attract investment; they are proving they can cope with the slow but sure decline in manufacturing caused by global pressures."

Coun Andy Kay, executive member for regeneration, said: "This development will provide new job opportunities for the people of the borough and the rest of East Lancashire, providing an essential and important boost to the local and regional economy."

When the Bannertown buildings are completed by early next year, Shadsworth Industrial Estate will effectively be full.

Property agents Chesterton and Taylor Weaver are responsible for marketing the scheme.

Mark Young, of Chesterton, said: "The size, configuration and specification of the buildings will be particularly well suited."