A LAW firm has submitted a blueprint for a futuristic £7 million office to the Bolton Council’s planning department.

The Asons project will create a new gateway to the town centre on the site of the former Bolton College building in Clarence Street, and will result in up to 300 new jobs.

The plans have been submitted on behalf of Asons by Bolton construction and design consultants Bradshaw Gass and Hope, who will lead the project scheduled for completion by 2015.

As well as office space, the development will include a top-end restaurant run by an outside firm and space for business networking and corporate events, as well as a rooftop garden.

According to the submission, the site on land adjacent to Topp Way and St Peter’s Way “represents a gateway opportunity into Bolton with significant visibility” and “delivers a statement building that sits with the Asons growth strategy”.

The detailed plans, which also include significant elements of surrounding trees and shrubbery, divide the building into three zones.

  • A four-storey block accommodating reception space at ground level, open plan office space and a boardroom on the floors above;
  • A two-storey block housing open plan office space for a different department within the firm;
  • A single storey glazed space for the restaurant.

Outside there will be a car park for 54 vehicles, storage for bicycles, space for external bin storage and hard and soft landscaping.

Personal injury specialists Asons have enjoyed a meteoric rise since brothers Imran and Kamran Akram launched the firm in Chorley New Road five years ago.

They moved an expanding staff of 90 to Bark Street two years ago. They currently employ 200 staff and occupy three floors of that building. The brothers announced the ambitious project last year.

Kamran said: “We want to create a wow factor for people coming into the town.

“We could have expanded into another town or city, but we wanted to stay here because it has done really well for us and we feel part of the Bolton family.”

The application is due for consideration by Bolton’s planning committee in the spring, but it may be fast tracked if there are no objections from the owners of nearby properties.