BUILDING work on boxing hero Amir Khan’s proposed £5 million wedding venue is set to start this week.

The job of turning the plot of wasteland in Washington Street, Deane, into a luxury marriage hall and banqueting suite is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

Work on laying the foundations of the venue is now set to start, and the steel structure for the venue should be in place within six to eight weeks, according to the Khan family Amir is investing £5 million of his personal fortune into the venture, and told The Bolton News in September that a chief aim was to “make Bolton better”.

Initially, the family wanted work to start in November, with the structure built by Christmas, but Amir’s father, Shah, said small logistical problems have briefly delayed the project.

He added the family is excited that work is now set to begin and that, overall, progress has been good.

Mr Khan said: “Everything is set to go from this week and once the foundations work has started the project will not stop really.

“We have just had a couple of niggly things really that have delayed us but these are not uncommon with projects like this.

“These things can take time and have to be overcome, but everything is in position now.

“We’re all absolutely excited to get this work moving forward at last.”

Bolton Council gave the ambitious plans the go ahead at the September meeting of their planning committee.

Amir said the venue, which also host business conferences, could create 125 jobs and raise Bolton’s profile.

Bolton firm, Ash & Sons, in Chorley Old Road, will be building the venue, employing between 20 and 25 workers on site.

The ex-IBF and WBA light welterweight champion feels the venue, along with the Gloves Gym he opened in 2008, will give him interests to pursue when he retires which could be as soon as three years from now.

This week, long-standing rumours of a bout between Amir and Floyd Mayweather were quashed when the American opted to fight Marcos Maidana, who Amir has previously beaten, in May instead.