AN acre of neglected urban land has been earmarked for a high-quality £1.2million development of ‘extreme eco-homes’.

The nine new houses, expected to sell for around £180,000 each, will have all the latest environmentally-friendly technology to keep heating and energy bills low.

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The proposal, for Wensley Meadows in Blackburn, is the brainchild of of architect-turned- ‘green’-property-developer Wayne Penrith, born and educated in the town.

The 41-year-old Witton Park High School pupil, who was brought up in the Infirmary area, hopes to see the mini-estate built by next summer, paving the way for similar developments elsewhere in Blackburn with Darwen.

The plan has been welcomed by Wensley Fold councillor Dave Harling as ‘green’ good news. Mr Penrith, who is principal architect for Manchester-based PS9:Architects set up moderNEST developments Ltd specifically to develop the acre of former allotment/greenhouse land next to Moulding Close off Wensley Road.

There will be six three-bedroomed semi-detached houses, one three-bedroomed detached home and two detached four-bedroomed properties.

They will be built to the international Passivhaus Institute standard which ensures very low energy use resulting in tiny energy bills.

Construction will use super insulated building materials - including timber, copper, resin and zinc - to ensure warmth and an airtight fabric to eliminate draughts.

The houses will have triple-glazed windows with insulated frames and mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery.

Mr Penrith said: “We call these homes `Extreme Eco-Homes` and have been designed to the international Passivhaus standard.

“These new homes will be so energy-efficient that they can save up to 90 per cent in heating costs. “The way we live has changed but the homes we live in have not.”

“We don’t see a house as a house. This makes what we are doing, exciting and quirky!

There are hopes of planning approval in September, starting on site in November, with the first plots available from next Spring .

“The new homes will use the latest in insulation technology and triple-glazed windows.

“We want encourages a new breathing sense of community.

“We hope to to develop similar schemes elsewhere in Blackburn with Darwen in future.”

Cllr Harling said: “On the face of it this looks like and excellent scheme for high quality environmentally-friendly homes on a vacant, semi-derelict plot of land which will boost this area of Wensley Fold.”