Plans by Praxis Holdings for a 1million sq ft employment park at Whitebirk in Lancashire have been given the go-ahead by Hyndburn Council.

The 85-acre mixed-use scheme, known as Frontier Park, incorporates industrial and distribution units, in addition to 35,000 sq ft of hotel, food and leisure space.

Frontier Park is part of Lancashire’s strategic economic plan which aims to generate almost 10,000 jobs and more than £500 million for the local economy in East Lancashire through key employment sites such as Frontier Park.

Following the planning consent, preparatory works are scheduled to start on site in December 2015 and expected to last nine months.

The initial phase of construction is set to begin in 2016 with the first building occupied by the end of 2017. It is envisaged that the entire development will be completed within five years.

Gabriel McLaughlin, director and head of asset management at Praxis, said: “Frontier Park is a major development proposition that is not only exciting for us as developers, but also for Lancashire given it will create thousands of jobs for local people and encourage substantial inward investment.”