A new £50m printing press for Northcliffe Newspapers could be up and running in North Lincolnshire by the end of 2007.

The newspaper group has submitted a planning application to North Lincolnshire Council to build a press on an industrial estate at Elsham Wold near Brigg.

If successful the Hull Daily Mail, Lincolnshire Echo, Scunthorpe Telegraph and Grimsby Telegraph would all be printed there, as well as editions of the national Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, and could be printed in full colour.

The site for the 125,000sq ft plant, which is near to the M180 and A15 roads, has been chosen to maximise distribution times for all of the titles.

Following the move the current printing facilities at Hull, Grimsby and Lincoln would close. Staff currently employed as production workers will be able to apply for the 120 jobs at the new plant.

Northcliffe property director Ken Thompson said: "This is a very exciting project. The aim is to have the press up and running by the end of 2007.

"If granted permission, the new press would be the biggest ever single capital investment by Northcliffe Newspapers."

The planning process is expected to take between four and six months, and the group has already spent several months compiling reports addressing landscaping, ecology, ground condition and transport issues for North Lincolnshire Council.