TELEGRAPH Towers has had a fresh lick of paint as work to convert the building into flats nears completion.

The outside of the building has been painted in a modern grey slate colour.

Revised plans were submitted in April to Blackburn with Darwen Council to increase the number of apartments from 66 to 68.

The new proposal included two extra ground floor flats with the layout and number of units at lower ground, first and second floor remaining unchanged.

The cost of the conversion is about £2.6million.

An application was submitted last year to build 66 flats with car parking spaces in the four-storey Railway Road building, known as Newspaper House.

Developers said the move would aid the regeneration of the area with the building located opposite the £34m landmark Cathedral Square complex.

The building was sold for £850,000 to Doncaster-based Empire last year.

The flats will be one to two bedroomed for private sale or rental aimed at young working professionals. Bosses

hope the location next to the train station will make the development attractive for people commuting out of town for work to places like Manchester, as well as for those who work in Blackburn.