A FAST-expanding Blackburn building products firm’s multi-million pound investment project in the town creating dozens of jobs has moved a step closer.

In December 2015 GAP announced its plans for a £10m state-of-the art new factory on Shadsworth Business Park, creating 200 new jobs.

Instead of going ahead the firm bought the plastic division of Sheffield Insulation Group for £20m.

Now having merged its purchase into its operations, GAP is breathing new life into the shelved project next to its existing headquarters.

And the scheme can go ahead after Blackburn with Darwen Council executive board members approved the sale of land at Partnership Way to the firm.

Borough growth and development boss Cllr Phil Riley said: “It’s a piece of land we have sold to a local company to enable them to bring forward a significant development with a lot of new jobs and it will make them one of the most technologically advanced.”

The firm has already created 182 new posts in Blackburn since 2015, bringing its workforce in the town up to 390 out of 850 nationwide.

Work on the 105,000 square foot factory will start within two years and take nine months, and the installation of new machinery another six.

GAP Ltd came to Shadsworth in 1995 with a few dozen workers and is one of the UK’s two largest manufacturers of PVC-U building products including the Rockdoor, Homeline and Homeframe brands.