A first glimpse has been offered of new homes being built at the centre of a £15 million regeneration project.

Two new showhomes in the Woodnook area of Accrington were opened up to the community by developer PlaceFirst, Together Housing Group and partners Hyndburn Council.

The three-bedroom house on Hudson Street and two-bedroom home on Augusta Street are part of a project to deliver 141 energy efficient and family homes to the area.

Brian Beston, of the Woodnook Residents Association, said he was ‘very happy’ with the work.

He said: “It’s better than I expected and hopefully the rest will be done to the same standard.

“They are a lot different to what is there now.

“The area was left in a right mess for many years and hopefully when it’s done it will attract a lot of people to come here.”

Council leader Miles Parkinson said it will soon be ‘a wonderful place to live’ after many years of neglect.

He said: “I was delighted to look around the properties and it’s amazing
to see how an old
two-up two-down can be
transformed into a contemporary lifestyle building.

“I’m sure that as more progress is made it will become a fantastic area
of regeneration within Accrington and a model to be followed, not just here in the North West but throughout the country.

“The consultation and plans which have been drawn up and all that hard work is now coming to fruition and will leave a lasting legacy.

“After the Housing Market Renewal ended in 2010, we fought hard with the MP to bring in investment and also private investment which is the key going forward.”

The first phase of the scheme will see terraced properties transformed into 71 family homes,
with 60 more in phase two.

Environmental impr-ovements will also be carried out, including a residents’ garden, facelift work to all properties on Nuttall Street and the creation of a new public square. The first new homes are anticipated for release by the end of 2014.

David Smith-Milne, managing director of PlaceFirst, said: “The new show homes at Woodnook have been finished to a very high standard.”