A CEREMONIAL golden bolt has been fitted to a multi-million pound Autism centre.

The £4.8m Newfield Autism Centre will accommodate 60 pupils and 40 staff and will lie adjacent to the existing Newfield Specialist School on Old Bank Lane.

It is expected to be completed in February 2018, with construction of the centre having begun in March.

The insertion of the last bolt signifies the completion of the steel structure, with work now starting on the next phase of the project.

Construction on the building stopped briefly for the ‘Golden Bolt Ceremony’, which was attended by students who will go to the new centre, members of Blackburn and Darwen Council and the Robertson North West team, who are constructing the project.

The building will have ten classrooms and will be run by staff at Newfield Specialist School.

It is expected to offer a number of new places for pupils with autism and incorporate the existing pupils that are already at the school.

Cllr Dave Harling, executive member for Schools and Education, said: “This ceremony shows we are getting ever closer to realising this centre which will provide fantastic facilities for children and young people with autism.

“Work is progressing well and we are very proud to be building this facility in the borough.”

Darren Stirling, Robertson North West operations director, said: “The fitting of the golden bolt is always a clear indication that the construction is progressing well and we are excited to deliver a centre that will be extremely beneficial to the local community.

“The team is working hard to ensure that this important building is completed on time and to the highest standard.”

The unit will tackle a shortfall in the council’s provision for children with autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

In August 2014, there were 82 pupils in its mainstream and special schools but another 23 had to be sent to schools, both local authority and independent, outside the borough.

The school has been designed with a ‘Cluster’ approach in mind, where all services are close to each other.

There will be three main clusters catering for early years and primary, mid years junior and secondary and post-16 and high dependency.

These clusters will also be colour coded in green, purple and blue to offer identity to each one.