Construction company Graham is to create 200 jobs in Co Down after being given the go-ahead for a new £10m (€12.5m) eco-friendly headquarters.

The Dromore firm is to move its headquarters a short distance to a base just off the A1 dual carriageway beside Hillsborough.

The eco-friendly HQ building will use a biomass boiler and collect rainwater and Graham hope it will receive the highest award level for sustainable buildings - the "excellent" BREEM rating.

The building will allow the company to increase its workforce by 200 to 1,200 over the next two years.

Executive Chairman Michael Graham said: "It is intended to become a 'flagship' building demonstrating to clients that we practice what we preach.

"It involves details such as orientating the building to minimise heat gain from the sun to allow the use of natural ventilation, therefore cutting down on energy costs.

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"Sustainable building materials, collecting rainwater and use of appropriate landscaping will all be used to make the building sustainable and energy efficient."

Planning approval for the building was fast-tracked through the system in just six months by the Planning Service's new Strategic Project's Unit (SPU). The Graham application is one of the first to be processed by the unit.

Mr Graham said: "This planning approval allows us to forge ahead with the construction of our new HQ on schedule. It is no secret that we have outgrown our historic HQ base in Dromore and we had feared the new HQ planning application would take longer to process and thus impact upon our business development plans.

"We have been impressed by the attitude and approach of the SPU to the planning application and also want to thank Jeffrey Donaldson and Lisburn City Council for their support."

Mr Donaldson, the Lagan Valley MP, said the application was quickly identified as a strategic project which enabled it to be fast-tracked through the planning system. He said: "Graham have expanded considerably in recent years, having completed various high profile projects in Scotland, England and the Republic of Ireland.

"The new headquarters will allow the company to expand further creating 200 jobs over the next two years which is terrific news. Significant time and resources have been invested into the design of the new building to make sure it incorporates key environmental features and this of course is positive."

(VB)