BOUNDARY Mills have announced plans to build a new £30million flagship store and create 100 more jobs in Colne.

The firm was to apply for planning permission today to build the store on land at Vivary Way which would replace its store in Corporation Street.

Company bosses said they hoped the store would be their premier site to meet the needs of the 21st century and would overcome parking problems that the Corporation Street site has suffered.

The plans also include a new restaurant in the style of a traditional Lancashire barn to house Bannister's restaurant, currently at Further Lee Farm, off Burnley Road.

The company's 800 staff have already seen the plans and Boundary Mills bosses hope the new store will employ an additional 100.

Under the scheme, the Corporation Street site, which has buildings which are more than 100 years old, would be demolished and replaced with a DIY store that was originally planned for the Vivary Way site.

Richard Bannister, executive chairman of Boundary Mills, said: "Colne is where it all started for us and we are delighted to make it clear that our future is in Colne.

"Much of what has been achieved is down to local people who worked for us over many years and it is good to be in a position to repay that loyalty and support." He said the company was conscious there was little more could be done on the existing site, where many of the buildings were more than 100 years old.

"Retailing today requires a different kind of store," he added.

The company grew from selling lengths of fabric, more than 25 years ago, to a national company with five major stores.

It has announced plans to build three new stores around the country over the next two years, but has pledged that the new Colne store will be the biggest and best of these.